Digimon: Rangers
by TheCrypticShadow
Summary: In a different Digital World, chaos has become wide spread, and various forces spread darkness and dominance over the Digital World. But when a human boy is kidnapped by an unknown force, and then his brother goes after him and they meet a few other DigiDestined along the way, the five of them will learn that they must reform an old group, The Digimon Rangers, to fight it.
1. Chapter 1: A Special Encounter

Maxwell found himself awoken by a leaf landing on his face. It tickled his nose a little, and nearly made him loose his balance. "Okay, this time, I swear it, this is the last time I sleep under a tree".

"Hey, Max!" his brother's voice yelled. It was his younger brother, Matthew. "We are going to be late!"

"Alright, hold on Matt!" Max told him, as he jumped out of the tree. Matthew might be younger then him, but for some reason was considered to be the smart sibling. Matt was barely over half his height, for that matter. "I don't see why we need to get home so early",

Matthew stopped as the got to the door, and frowned. "You forgot, didn't you?"

Maxwell tried to remember what his brother meant, but failed too. Before he could ask though, a freak thunderstorm started overhead, and it began to rain like crazy. Within seconds they were soaked. Matthew tried entering the door code for their alarm system, but the alarm just sort of bugged out. "Please Re-Re-Re enter pa-pa-password".

"What did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything! The thing is buggy for some reason! Here, let me try again" Matthew said, pushing past his brother and entering the code again. Suddenly, it seemed like datacode came out of the alarm pad and surrounded Matthew, engulfing him before it disappeared completely, along with his brother.

Maxwell just sort of stood there in shock for a minute, before running to the keypad. "What did you do! Give me back my brother!"

"I am afraid it is too late for that" a voice spoke. "Your brother is out of our hands".

"What do you mean! Where did you send him!"

"Somewhere far away. We have no control over him, or what brought him here. I am simply telling you that we cannot return him" the voice told Maxwell.

"Then...then take me to him!"

"That...we can do" the voice said, and suddenly datacode emerged from the keypad and engulfed Maxwell.

"Digi-Transfer engaged. Subject: Maxwell Graves. Energizing!".

Maxwell found himself flushed in a strange, weird feeling. Like, something about him was changing. Also, there was this feeling of falling or flying he felt. When he finally did start coming to his senses, he landed in a tree of all places. Additionally, this strange device was in his hand. He had no idea how it got there, where he was, or what just happened. To be fair, he should have probably thought about this before just charging in.

He looked around, but he did not see his brother. All that was around him was a massive jungle. He was lost, and worse of all, he did not know where Matthew was. To be fair, he did not know where he was, or how they would get back. But that could be dealt with later.

Once he finally got to ground level, his device began going off like crazy. It seemed to be detecting something nearby. Maxwell had a deep hope it might be Matthew. He ran towards it, hoping that he was right.

However, what he came across instead was some sort of strange creature that lept out of the bushes, and tackled him to the ground. "Hello! My name is Guilimon!"

"Ahhh! Giant monster!" Maxwell yelled, without thinking of what he meant.

"No, I am a Digimon!" Guilimon told him.

"A...digimon?" Maxwell asked, either Guilimon or himself. "Wait...did you eat my brother!?"

"What, no! I don't eat humans!" Guilimon told him. "Wait, are you that human's brother?"

"Yes. What do you know about my brother!?"

"Yeah, just a few hours

"Wait, what? Lives here? Exactly how long has my brother been here?"

"A few hours. He fell from the sky! Just like you! There was this burst of light, then there you were!"

"A...few hours?" Maxwell asked. "But, I was only a minute behind him. Anyways, who are you, and why are you telling me this?"

"I am your Digimon partner!" he told Maxwell. "And that in your hand is a Digivice. It links us together! Your brother has one too! And this is the Digital world! Its different to your world, parallel, connected. And you have been chosen, to, uhh...I don't know. Have fun? Or maybe it was safe the Digital world. It might be the second one, but that does not mean we cannot do the first one though!"

"Okay, okay. We can get to all that later. Where is my brother?!"

"He is at the center of the Data Jungle! I thought about investigating, but its dangerous there. A very tempermental Ogremon lives there".

"Wait, he is in danger!" Maxwell said in panic. "We have to save him, quickly! Which way is that the center?"

"Follow me!"

================================HH==================================

"Of all the stupid things" Matthew said with tears running down his face, having taken cover inside a hollow tree. There was a crazy storm overhead. "I mean, can you believe this? My own brother forgot my birthday!"

"Well, to be fair, I did not know it was your birthday either" Gomamon told him.

"But I just met you! And you gave me this cool, what was it, Digivice? So you did give me something for my birthday. BUt my brother? He forgot! My own brother forgot my birthday!" Matthew whailed. "And what is worse is that I am really hungry. We were just headed home, my parents probably had a great cake and everything".

"Don't worry, it will be okay" Gomamon told him. "When you get back, we can get two cakes!"

Matthew still continued to cry, but he was crying less. "Really?"

"Yeah! FOr sure! And maybe we will find some cake along the way!"

"I don't suppose you have some food right now? I am still hungry" Matthew asked, wiping away his tears.

"Yeah, I think I saw a fruit tree outside" Gomamon told him. They started to climb out, and fell to the ground.

"Well well, look what I found! A human in my kingdom!" Ogremon yelled, walking towards them. "I guess you do not know what happens to intruders!"

Ogremon charged forward, but Gomamon blocked the attack with his Snowray attack. Still, it blasted through and knocked him right back into Matthew.

"Ready to say goodbye, DigiDestined?"

However, before anyone could do anything, Matthew heard a familiar voice. His brother's voice. "Matthew! Hold on, we are coming!"

"Max?" Matthew noticed, but Ogremon started his attack.

Maxwell was too late though, as Ogremon hit both Matthew and Gomamon, knocking them into a tree and seriously hurting both. Datastreams appeared around both of them, but they seemed a bit bugged. Matt's datastream seemed unusually stronger then Gomamon's though, even if they both seemed fractured.

Ogremon swatted away Maxwell and Guilimon. Matthew managed to crawl over to Gomamon. "Gomamon?"

"Its okay...you need to run. Save yourself..."

"I am not leaving you!" Matthew told Gomamon, as he crawled up to Gomamon and help him in his hands. His datastream was fading.

"Both of your Datastreams will be mine! Then I shall enter the Human world!" Ogremon yelled.

"No, you cant have him!" Matt yelled, as he and Gomamon's datastreams intersected each other. Then, there was a glow.

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew's Gomamon Augment to...Kumamon!====

Ogremon looked in shock. "But, that would mean...you are a Digimon Ranger!"

"Snowblaster!" Kumamon yelled, hitting the Ogremon with a large freezing block of snow that did significant damage to Ogremon, enough to knock him down and do more then enough to reveal his datastream. Kumamon quickly absorbed it, taking its power.

Maxwell and Guilimon finally arrived to see what had happened. "Matt...what happened to you?"

_Uh oh! that was a close call! But did Max just lose his brother, or did his brother just manage to save himself and Gomamon? Find out next time on Digimon Rangers!_


	2. Chapter 2: New Friends, New Tricks!

_Last time on Digimon Rangers, Maxwell and Matthew get transported into the Digital World. They both met their Digimon Partners, but discovered they were also trapped. They faced against a particularly nasty Ogremon that had taken control of a massive jungle. Ogremon tore them to shreds, and seriously wounded Matthew and Gomamon. Matthew and Gomamon then Datastream fused into Kumamon, and defeated him! But are they stuck like that?_

"So, Gomamon says we might be stuck like this until our code heals. WHich might take awhile. In the mean time, this is so cool!" Kumamon told Max as they continued walking through the forest.

"Strange how you even turned into Kumamon. I thought that required a spirit, but you seemed to become him by combining your code with Gomamon's" Guilimon mentioned. "It was really cool!"

"Yeah, I am not sure how I did it either" Kumamon admitted. "Anyways, exactly how long till we reach the end of this jungle?"

"I don't know. I forgot" Guilimon admitted.

As they kept walking, Kumamon was eventually surrounded by data, and then turned back into Matt and Gomamon. "Well, that was interesting".

Max immediately gave his younger brother a big hug. "I thought I lost you!"

"I am okay Max" Matt told him. When he finally let go, another storm started to brew overhead. Almost instantly, it began to rain like crazy.

"What is with these freak storms?!" Matt asked as they tried to run for cover.

"Its the digital world. Weather quite litterally changes in an instant" Guilimon mentioned.

After a few minutes, they found a tree with room underneath the trunk. They took off their wet clothes, to have Guilimon dry. Maxwell made sure it was clear to Guilimon to keep them dry, but not on fire. While they waited, Maxwell looked toward the sky from the safety of their shelter.

"How do you think we are going to get home? Whatever sent us here, it sounded like a one way trip..."

"Only you chose to come here" Matt mentioned. "They wanted me, so they took me. Though, meeting Gomamon was cool and all, I want to know why I was taken?"

"Yeah. I had to convince them to bring me here. Or someone, at least" Max told him. "What did that Digimon call you? A Digimon Ranger? What was that all about?"

"I don't know" Matt said, however then they saw two more beams of light shoot out from the sky and landed somewhere in the jungle. "What the...what were those?"

"If I had to guess, more of us" Max mentioned. "Think about it, there was a storm when I landed, and I bet there was one when you landed too".

"Well then, we better get dressed and get going!" Matt mentioned. He and Max quickly put on their dried clothes, Max putting on his goggles, and Matt his semi big for him hat. They then ran at top speed toward where the beams of light hit. As they arrived, they saw two humans, a boy and a girl more around Max's age, along with two other Digimon. Matthew quickly scanned them. It was a Tentomon, and a Hawkmon. However, along with them was a nasty looking group of Dogmon that were all attacking them.

"Guilimon, we have to help them!" Max told him.

"Yeah, come on Gomamon!" Matt added.

The group came down to the other's rescue, when some sort of explosion knocked everyone back. Tentomon took the brunt of the damage, as his datastream appeared around him. The Dogmon started to approach the datastream, but Matt got in the way.

"Hey, kid! Its not safe here, get out of the way!"

"Eliminate the DigiDestined! Start with the stupid kid!"

"I am not stupid! I just refuse to let you hurt anyone and their Digimon for no good reason!" Matt yelled, as a datastream appeared on his hand again. It was reacting with Tentomon this time...

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Tentomon Augment: Beetlemon!====

Gomamon just stared. "How did he even do that?"

THe Dogmon just started to back away, but Beetlemon unleashed a lightning storm on them, destroying them all. All of their Digimon then absorbed their datastreams, and Matthew returned to normal soon after. However, he collapsed to the ground.

"How did I do that?" he asked. "I didn't even try. It just...happened. What does this mean Gomamon?"

"It means we need to get out of this Jungle, and consort with an expert" Hawkmon pointed out. "Perhaps a Wizardmon, or a Shamanmon".

"How about we find some shelter? Its still raining" Maxwell reminded them.

The group soon found shelter in another large tree. Sally and Kenji both introduced themselves as Guilimon got a fire going. Meanwhile, Matthew snuck away and looked out from the edge of the cover, with Gomamon soon joining him. "You don't think I am a freak, do you Gomamon?"

"No, I dont!" Gomamon told him. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, its just" Matthew started, looking at the Digivice in his hand. "So far, I have transformed twice now. And I don't even know how I did it".

"I am sure you will be okay" Gomamon told him.

The next morning, the group woke up to a sunny morning. As they began to walk, something occured to the group.

"Which way is the exit?" Matthew asked.

"Uhhh...the jungle all looks the same. So I have no idea which way to go" Hawkmon mentioned.

Matthew was curious about one thing. "When me and Gomamon were wounded, I noticed his datastream seemed weaker then mine. But, I am human, so how is that possible?"

Hawkmon sighed. "Its the same reason we can't digivolve currently. An evil Digimon named GigaTyranomon have been going after the datastreams of Digimon, particularly Digimon meant for DigiDestined. He wounds us, and then steals our datastreams. That is why neither of us could Digivolve to hold off the Dogmon. However, whatever power you hold seems to let you combine yourself with us, to enhance our power in yourself. I don't know why a human has this power, but someone will know".

====================HH===================

"A human defeated you? How! Their Digimon can't digivolve, and you had them outnumbered!"

"Ogremon fell too, your most lordship" The surviving Dogmon told him.

"Then we have no choice. You must return with greater power and finish off this human" he told him, before taking out The Lantern of Darkness and shined it upon Dogmon, turning him into RabidDogmon. "Now go destroy this human!"

======================HH========================

As they kept walking, Matthew started to get hungry. "We need more food".

"Yeah, we have not eaten in forever" Gomamon mentioned. "There has to be some fruit in the area".

"Agreed! We cannot work on an empty stomach!" Hawkmon mentioned. "I think I see some fruit trees up ahead!"

The group quickly made it to the trees, and sure enough, they were filled with fruit. Max quickly made sure Matt got the first piece, being the protective older brother he usually was. As they all continued to eat though, all of their Digivices began to react to something.

"What is going on with these things?" Sally mentioned.

Suddenly, a map appeared on their screens, apparently telling them to go somewhere. There was some static, and something that sounded like a voice, but there was too much intereference.

"Who was that? What did they say?" Kenji asked.

Maxwell wondered the same thing. "I don't know. We must be out of range".

"Maybe we should follow the map then?" Matthew mentioned. "Maybe its a map to the way home?"

The group took this as good news. "Yeah! At the very least, someone is trying to help us here".

Suddenly, another Dogmon showed up, but this one was different. It had black fur, and terrifying red eyes. Kenji quickly scanned it. "Its RapidDogmon! An Ultimate Level Digimon, with a bite worse then its bark!"

"It must have somehow been powered up or something!" Hawkmon exclaimed. "There is no way we can defeat it! We can't Digivolve!"

"Not on your own! But you can help me!" Matthew yelled, as a datastream formed a ring around his hand from nowhere. He hit it against his Digivice.

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

"You think giving me a cold shoulder will be enough to get rid of me? Even with your impossible ability, I am too strong for you!"

RapidDogmon fired his tearing howl attack at Kumamon, but before Matthew could even attempt to dodge, his brother and Guilimon ran out in front of him. "I wont let you hurt my brother!"

"Max! No!" Kumamon yelled. Suddenly, Max's Digivice activated.

====Datastream Modify! Maxwell and Guilimon wind element modification!====

Suddenly, datastreams emerged from both of them, giving them wings that they flapped to create a strong burst of wind that countered the attack. "You little twerp! You might be brave and resourceful, but I am still stronger!"

"You are not that observant though!" Kumamon announced from above, turning into a giant icicle that directly hit RapidDogmon. This caused him to stagger and fall backwards.

"Everyone! He might be stronger, but we outnumber him! If we combine our power, we can take him out!" Max told them. Everyone gathered together, and everyone who could used a combined attack against RapidDogmon, causing him to collapse and exposing his datastream. Max took out his Digivice, and quickly absorbed the datastream, causing RapidDogmon to dematerialize.

Kumamon turned back into Matthew and Maxwell's and Guilimon's wings dissapated. Gomamon ran up to Matt and jumped onto his head. "That was amazing!"

Suddenly, the datastream poured out of Max's digivice, and into Guilimon. Guilimon seemed to like it. "I feel...stronger!"

"The Datastream must have healed Guilimon" Sally mentioned. "Maybe the more datastreams we absorb, the stronger our Digimon get and the more they are restored!"

"Then we can give them, and other Digimon, their Digivolutions back" Matt mentioned. "Though, I don't think we should go looking for trouble just yet. I say we follow the map, and enjoy our vacation!"

"You think this is a vacation!" Max mentioned in shock. "We might be in danger or something! We still don't know who took you here!"

"Wait, he was taken here?" Sally asked. "I came here by choice, sort of. I got an invitation to be a part of something lifechanging and adventurous, to help people".

"Yeah, me too" Kenji noted. "You were kidnapped?"

"Sort of" Matthew admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact we might as well enjoy ourselves when we can while we are here!"

"Have you forgotten what sort of situation we are in?!"

"No" Matt replied. "But did you even remember what yesterday was? Let me remind you. It was my birthday!"

Max suddenly got a shocked expression. "Oh my..that was...I am so sorry!"

"Yeah, so you are going to make it up to me by making this the best vacation ever!" Matthew told him, as he started to walk in the direction the map told them to go. The others followed, officially starting their adventure.

_Uh oh. Sounds like Max is in trouble. Then again, sounds like the whole group is special. But what makes Matthew so special? Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	3. Chapter 3:Kenji and Tentomon vs Kumamon!

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers, the brothers encountered a group of Dogmon trying to eliminate two more DigiDestined. They managed to rescue them, and Matthew learned more about his ability. Maxwell also unlocked an ability, which allowed the both of them to take down RapidDogmon! THe group also got a mysterious map and an attempted communication, while Matthew also yelled at Max for forgetting his birthday. Lets hope they stay out of trouble from here on out!_

As the group kept walking, they had to admit, it was starting to get a little tiresome. They had been walking for three days straight, and they were still in the middle of the jungle. "You know what I really hate right now?"

"What Sally?" Matt asked.

"Its been three whole days, and not a single one of us have had a change of clothes yet" Sally mentioned. "And with all this heat, I am sweating like crazy".

Max immediately got concerned about something. "Matt, you should rest in the shade for a bit, to regain our energy".

"I am fine" Matt told him. Max was not sure he could believe it though. Matt had a tendency to refuse to admit when he had enough. He was almost as stubborn as he was compassionate.

"Really? Because if Sally is sweating like crazy, I imagine you must be close to a heat stroke. Come on, lets rest in the shade for a bit" Max mentioned. Then he thought of something. "Besides, this is supposed to be your vacation. Don't you want to relax?"

"But there is nothing to do around here" Matt mentioned, crossing his arms.

"Oh come on. A big tree? With branches? A really big tree?" Max baited him.

"Listen, just because...okay, you are not going to bribe me with a tree...but, uhhh, I should see if I can see anything from the highest branch. For, you know, landmarks!" Matt mentioned, before heading to the largest tree and started to climb it.

"How did you know that would work?" Sally asked.

"Matt can't resist anything that even sounds like an adventure. Even if its just simply climbing a tree" Max told her. "You would be surprised how easy it would be to bait him".

"You are definently his older brother" Kenji told him.

"Hey guys!" Matt yelled from the very top of the tree. "You got to come see this!"

"What is it!"

"Just come up here!"

Max started to climb after him. "Okay okay, just hold on".

"Wait a second..." Tentomon started. "Something doesn't seem right here!"

Suddenly, vines came out of the tree and ensnared Maxwell. Roots also burst out of the ground to try and entrap Sally and Kenji, but Kenji and Tentomon managed to evade it. Some sort of ghost Digimon emerged from it, so Kenji scanned it. "Its a Sprectremon! It possessed the tree!"

It flew up back into the tree, and soon enough, Matthew jumped down from the very top, seemingly unhurt by the fall. Tentomon quickly put itself in front of Kenji. "Who are you and what did you do to our friends!"

"Well, your friends Gomamon, Hawkmon, Guilimon, and those humans are a little tangled up in their own problems right now. As for this boy, well I have been waiting for him to become separated from the group for awhile now. I saw what he did, he digivolved! A human managed to fuse his datastream, which he should not even have in the first place, with another Digimons! He is clearly a theif, so since he stole our datastreams, I decided to steal his body! They are essentially the same crime after all".

"Hold on, that is not true! He had those datastreams before Tentomon!"

"Its impossible for a human to have a datastream! So you must be lying!" Spectremon yelled from inside Matthew. "But either way, now I have them all! Using this boy, I can collect enough data to digivolve!"

"Kenji! You have to help Matt!" Max yelled.

====Datastream fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

"Uh oh! I think we might need to be more concerned about helping ourselves!" Tentomon mentioned as Kumamon attacked. Kenji and Tentomon managed to dodge out of the way, but they still had the issue of Kumamon.

"I don't suppose you have any ideas, do you?" Kenji asked Tentomon.

"I am afraid not. The sun isn't nearly hot enough to make him melt anyways" Tentomon mentioned.

"Wait, that is it!" Kenji realized. He quickly grabbed a fallen branch. "His the end of this with your electro shocker".

"Right!" Tentomon mentioned, setting the torch ablaze. Kumamon came in for another attack, but as he did, Kenji stuck the torch right in his stomach. This seemed to seriously hurt Kumamon. _Wait though. The more I hurt Kumamon, the more I hurt Matthew. But the only way to free Matthew is to force Spectremon out and the only way to do that is to beat his host._

"Max, I cant get him out of Matthew without hurting Matthew!"

"That is right, its impossible!" the Spectremon told him. "You cannot defeat me without hurting your friend! Now prepare to suffer for your crimes! Snowball Launcher!"

"Never! I won't give in!" Kenji yelled, as his Digivice activated.

====Datastream enhancement! Ninja Skills!====

Suddenly, Kenji jumped over the attack, and behind Kumamon. He quickly held him from behind and lifted him up. "Tentomon! The vines!"

"Right!" Tentomon yelled, quickly gathering vines and using them to tie up Kumamon. Kenji then jumped to a safe distance away.

"This is really cool" Kenji admitted. "Now, Spectremon! We wont let you move that body, so you have to come out!"

"Says who! Maybe I will keep this body forever!"

Kenji needed to think of something. Anyways. So long as it worked. Then it hit him. "Says a Digimon Ranger!"

Suddemly, Spectremon got really quiet. "Did...did you just say...Digimon Ranger?! Okay you made your point! I am out of here!"

Spectremon left Matthew's body, and seemed to fly as fast as possible in the other direction. Tentomon and Kenji then pried everyone out of the traps.

"Good thinking Kenji. But how did you know he would react to you saying you were a Digimon Ranger?"

"I remember what you told us about Ogremon, and how he claimed Matthew had his power because he was a Digimon Ranger. Yet, Spectremon indicated he knew nothing about his power, or its connections to the Digimon Rangers. So, I took a guess and figured there were many various tales about the Digimon Rangers, like having impossibile abilities or something, and hoped it would make him run away" Kenji mentioned.

"Hawkmon, do you know anything about the Digimon Rangers?" Sally asked.

"Only what everyone else does. Which is that there are all sorts of stories of an ancient group of Digital Warriors called the Digimon Rangers. They adventured throughout the Digital World, righting any wrongs they came across. Rumor had it they wielded great powers. Actually, come to think of it, some of the stories mention the ability to modify themselves with an element or enhance a certain skillset is some of those, though I never actually heard of Matthew's ability to Augment Digivolve or Datastream fusion or whatever we call it. However, recently, some new rumors have spread this past month, stating that the Digimon Rangers would be once again reborn. That is probably why Kenji's threat worked. Lets be thankful it did, because not all Digimon are that rational" Hawkmon explained.

"Well then, lets just be glad it worked and keep going" Matthew mentioned, but then he remembered something. "Wait! I saw something that would help us! Follow me this way!"

The group followed Matthew, asking about what he had seen, until he showed it to them himself. It was a river. "If we make a boat or something, we can ride the current out of the jungle!"

"And...this would work?" Kenji asked.

"He has been white water rafting five times. And even after many...'failed'...attempts, he did eventually learn how to surf" Max mentioned. "And by failed, I mean..."

"Shut up Max!" Matt told him.

"He lost his swimsuit. A few times" Max said with a smile.

"Max!" Matt yelled. "Shut up and help me figure out how we can make a boat".

Gomamon jumped off of Matthew's head. "I know how! Marching Fishes!"

Suddenly, this swarm of fish came out of nowhere seemingly, and over one thousand of them shot out and pushed a smaller tree down into the river. However, it just sort of got stuck there, and had too many thick branches. Gomamon sulked a little. "Its okay Gomamon. You just gave me an idea anyways! Datastream Fusion, activate!"

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

"Gomamon, how do you feel about being navigator?" Kumamon asked him.

"Yeah!" Gomamon replied.

"Alright!" Kumamon said, before jumping over the river. Before landing in it, he froze a large chunk of it under him. That is when Kenji realized what he was doing.

"Its an ice raft!"

"That is right! I made it thick enough to stand on, but thin enough so that it won't sink. Gomamon can use his marching fishes to help keep it up, while he himself steers in the back!"

"Sort of like a sailboat, only instead of wind power, its fish power!" Gomamon announced.

"Alright. But how will you make sure it does not melt?" Max mentioned.

"There is a reason I am still Kumamon. And when I cant keep it up anymore, Gomamon will give us some cool breaths. Now come on!"

The group boarded the ice raft, and soon enough, they were on their way down the river and out of the jungle. However, Kenji could not notice Hawkmon seemed concerned about something. "Hawkmon, what is it?"

"Its what I mentioned before. You guys do seem to fit the requirements for Digimon Rangers, its just...the legand says there are five rangers, not four" Hawkmon told them.

"So we are still missing a person then" Maxwell concluded. "Well, lets just hope we meet them before any bad Digimon do".

_Talk about resourceful thinking! And Max seems to be competing with Matt for leadership of the group. But will they find the fifth Digimon Ranger in time, or will they be too late? And what is at the end of this river? Find out next time on Digimon Rangers!_


	4. Chapter 4: Sally's Stalker!

_Last time on Digimon Rangers. Maxwell got concerned about Matthew's health, and tried to convince him to rest in the shade for a bit so he didn't overheat. However, a Spectremon managed to take control of a tree, trapping everyone but Kenji and Tentomon. He then took control of Matthew, and made him Augment Digivolve into Kumamon. Kenji and Tentomon had to get creative, and after realizing he could not hurt Spectremon without hurting Matthew as well, had to think of some way to not betray his friends but free Matthew at the same time. This somehow allowed him to Enhance his and Tentomon's Datastream with the Ninja Skillset, which allowed them to strategicly capture and neutralize Matthew without hurting him further. He then made some pretty interesting threats, that ended up working out as Spectremon ran away! Matthew then led everyone to a river he had seen, and he and Gomamon got a makeshift ice raft going so they could travel out of the jungle down river! They also realized there was a Fifth Digimon Ranger. Lets hope their luck improves!_

"Okay okay! I did not see this coming!" Matthew yelled as the ice raft rushed its way towards a waterfall. They had already tried breaking free from the current when it was weaker, but it was no good.

"Brace for impact!" Max yelled as the raft went off the edge. The group fell, but quickly landed in a large pool of water at the bottom. Guilimon started to drown though, so Max and Gomamon helped him get to shore.

"Well Sally, looks like you got that bath and clothes washing" Kenji mentioned jokingly as they got to shore. They were all really cold though. Max quickly went over to Matt.

"Come on Matt, we better get you out of those wet clothes and into something dry" he mentioned, before realizing they had nothing dry. "Well, okay, just out of those wet clothes".

"Nu uh, no way!" he said shivering.

"Why not?" Max asked. "You will be warmer if you do".

Sally then walked up behind Max. "I think he wont because I am here. Look, we all need to dry off our clothes, so you boys stay over here, and I will find someplace further away from all you boys. Because I am sure not taking off my clothes in front of all of you".

Sally and Hawkmon left, leaving Kenji, Max, and Matt alone. "Better Matt?"

"A little. No offence Kenji, we just met you, but yeah. Okay fine" Matt replied, going off behind a tree.

===================HH==================

Sally found a good secluded place, and took off her wet clothing as well, hanging them on a low branch. "You know Hawkmon, its just like boys to think falling into a large pool of water will actually be the same as an actual bath or washing machine".

"At least its something right? I am just glad that we are no longer extremely hot" Hawkmon replied.

"Yeah, at least there is that" Sally agreed. However, soon they both heard rustling from a nearby bush. Sally hid behind a tree. "Hey, you better not be trying to get a sneak peak, you pervs!"

"But you're just so pretty!" a Digimon said as he emerged from the bush. Sally quickly scanned it, and silently thanked the Digivices were water proof. "And you ladies are all alone, so I thought I would make sure you were okay! Are you lost or anything? I can help you!"

The Digimon was Shamanmon. He was not a guarenteed threat, but Sally and Hawkmon kept their guard as he approached. "Well how about you show a girl some respect and not try to look at her up close when she is naked!"

"But, you're so pretty!" Shamanmon pouted.

"If you want to help, you will show me some respect and decency" Sally told him.

"Yeah!" Hawkmon told him, standing in his path.

"But, they are drying, and it will take so long!" Shamanmon said. "Wait, I know! I make you new clothes!"

Shamanmon ran off, and about ten minutes later, returned with a skirt and a top made of leaves he had managed to tie together so it would work. There were pleanty of leaves to cover her, sure, but she was not sure about it still. "I don't know...wearing this stuff seems...strange".

"Well right now your naked and I really want to come closer to see you so its better then nothing right? Its a really great gift?" Shamanmon asked her. She conceded to that point, it was better then nothing, which is litterally what she had to wear right now. She put it on, and felt like a plant, but at least it was something. "Well?"

"Alright" Sally said, walking out. "I guess this was a nice gift. Thank you, Shamanmon".

"Now that you are no longer hiding, you are even more pretty!" Shamanmon mentioned. "You need any more help?"

Sally then had a fun and good idea.

=============HH==============

"Guilimon, how are they doing?" Kenji asked. The boys had accepted their temporary fate, only because Guilimon could help dry out their clothes so it would go by faster. He could have had them dry already, but he nearly burnt the underwear doing it the express way. Still, at least they had those dry.

"I think another hour" Guilimon mentioned. "Well, another hour for the fish. The clothes are taking a bit longer. Are you sure I cant try again, I promise I wont burn them this time!"

Gomamon smiled proudly as he caught another fish. "Another point for the best fishermon ever!"

"Yeah, great job Gomamon" Matt mentioned from a distance. "Hey, where did...".

Suddenly, Maxwell jumped Matt from behind, and began tickling him like crazy. "Max! Max please stop! No! No please!"

"Ha, got you!" Max smiled.

"Just you wait! I will get you back for this!" Matt told him, then thinking of something. "Actually, I think I will get you back right now!"

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve into...Kumamon!====

Max looked really worried now. "Now come on Matt! It was just a prank!"

"So is this! Snowball launcher!" Matt replied, hitting Max with a few ice cold snowballs in the face and rear. Kenji and the Digimon broke out into laughter.

"Hey! Not funny!" Max mentioned. "Also not fair! The rest of us have to be naked while our clothes dry!"

"Really? Coming from the person who loosened my swimming suit band so it would get pulled off when I used the diving board!"

That is when a Digimon came in, shouting that he had gifts from Sally. It was three skirts to wear while their clothes dried. Max and Kenji decided to put them on, but Matt refused to de-digivolve. "I will just stay like this till they dry".

"You would dare refuse a gift from the beautiful Sally!" Shamanmon yelled. "Accept the gift this instant, or I will force you to accept it!"

"Matt, please don't pick a fight from being stubborn" Max told him. "Just accept the gift, deal with it, and lets avoid any unnessisary fights".

Matthew crossed his arms. "It wont fit me!"

"Matt..." Max told him. "Come on, its part of the adventure. Are you going to miss part of the adventure?"

Matthew gave in soon after that. "Still feels weird".

Suddenly, they heard a scream from Sally's direction. The group ran towards the scream, and found Hawkmon in a cage, and Sally seemingly paralzyed on the ground. "Its the leaves! Its a trap!"

Suddenly, several Goblinmon came out and dropped cages on their Digimon too. Max and Kenji both fell to the ground too, paralyzed. "Please forgive me Sally!" Max yelled as he lunged towards her, pulling off the leaves but also freeing her from paralyzation. Matt however found himself paralyzed as well, unable to move or get up.

=====================HH=================

Sally was too concerned for her friends right now to care about her current state. Right now, she needed to focus on freeing her friends and defeating the Goblinmon and Shamanmon. That is when she noticed something: Hawkmon's cage had less time to have been made in the others, and had some weak connections as a result of being rushed.

Sally kicked the case in the weakspots, freeing Hawkmon. "You really think one pretty human and one Digimon can defeat all of us! Just surrender, all we want is to have you stay in our castle forever! And we can probably sell your friends here for a quick buck!"

"You might have numbers and strength, but we are smarter then you!" Sally yelled, as her Digivice activated.

====Datastream manipulation! Armor and staff formation!====

Suddenly, both Hawkmon and Sally were wearing armor and wielding long staffs that would help them fight the digimon off. They all charged at them, but they both fended off the assault incredibly well.

"No, we will not be denied!" Shamanmon mentioned.

"Its a little late for that, because you already have been!" Hawkmon yelled. "Feather Strike!"

Shamanmon found himself knocked right back, but he did not stay down. "Shaman's Glare!"

Both Sally and Hawkmon dodged the attack, which instead his Matthew behind them. It hurt him, but it also destroyed the paralytic leaves. He managed to get up.

"Matthew! Free the others! We will take care of Shamanmon over here!" Sally told him.

"Right!" he replied, quickly grabbing the digivice that had fallen out of his hand. Then, he summoned the damaged datastream he had taken from Gomamon.

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

While Matthew was busy freeing the others, Sally and Hawkmon cornered Shamanmon. "Come on! We just wanted to admire you forever in our castle! Cant we talk about this?"

"I am afraid not!" Sally told him, before she and Hawkmon delivered the final blows. His datastream was then exposed, and she quickly absorbed it. Not long after she did, the datastream flowed out of the Digivice and into Hawkmon. She could tell this helped her a lot.

===========HH==============

Kumamon was helping the Digimon out of their cages when the two returned. "There, all done. Excellent work by the way".

"Matthew" Sally said with a bit of fire in her voice, and a heavy glare on him. "Exactly why, of all places, did you grab it there?"

Kumamon was a little scared and flustered now. "Well, there were two pieces, and it was the only place to grab both! I...I didn't mean to..."

"Well maybe, to get even, I should make you de-digivolve, pants your underwear, and if your lucky, don't get any further revenge..." she said as she walked towards him.

"Hey no! I didn't mean to grab there! It was just the only place I could reach! I got paralyzed midway through, remember! Its not like I could control where my hands would go!"

"Uh huh. Just so convienently timed?" she mentioned.

"Wait, you know, I think...I think I will check the surrounding area! Make sure we are safe. Talk to you later!" Kumamon mentioned, before running away at top speed.

"Get back here Kumamon!" Sally yelled as she chased after him. "I am going to make you pay for this!"

_Can this group get anywhere without getting into trouble with each other? Lets hope when they find the fifth Digimon Ranger things wont get worse. Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	5. Chapter 5: Determined Learning

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers! The group's raft went over a waterfall, getting everyone wet. Sally went off to let her clothes dry off somewhere else to both give the boys some privacy, and get some herself. However, she is quickly met with a fan named Shamanmon, who decided to make her and her friends makeshift clothing as gifts. However, it turned out the leaves he used caused the group to become paralyzed. Matthew managed to free Sally before getting paralyzed himself. She managed to free Hawkmon, and then they both managed to use their own Datastream power to defeat Shamanmon and his minions! Talk about a close call._

"You know, we could make another raft" Kenji pointed out.

Max turned to face him as they walked. "I don't think any of us want to risk getting soaked again so soon".

"Except Gomamon" Sally said.

"What? I like the water" Gomamon told them.

"Max, the next time we get dragged into the Digital World, remind me to pack a swimsuit" Matt told him.

"Me too" Sally added.

"Same" Kenji agreed.

"Wait, hold on!" Max told them. "Who is going to remind me!"

"Yourself of course!" Guilimon told him. Everyone laughed.

As they kept walking however, they came across a random library in the middle of the Jungle. It was a really big library too, and its doors were wide open. "Why is there a library in the middle of the jungle?"

"Once you are in the Digital World long enough, you will stop asking those questions as much" Hawkmon mentioned, as another storm suddenly came out of nowhere.

Sally started running towards the library. "I am not getting soaked again! Quickly, lets take cover inside the library!"

Once the group got inside, they quickly closed the doors. The storm sounded incredibly bad and violent. Max looked over at Matthew, only he and Gomamon had wandered off somewhere. "Matt! Where did you go!"

"Over here! I found something cool!" he yelled.

The group went over to see what he was talking about, but it became pretty clear what he meant. There was a book on a pedestal that he had opened. "Hey, be careful! We don't know what is and is not safe here!"

"But its labled Digimon: Rangers!" Matt told him.

"Wait, really?" Sally asked, going over to see herself. "He is right, its a book about the Digimon Rangers. What they are, what they represent, their history. All of it".

"Well, what does it say?" Kenji asked.

"Apparently, long ago, the Digital World had fallen into evil hands. It was everywhere, corrupting the whole Digital World, enslaving everyone and everything. Then, a group of Digimon stood up against it. They were known as the Digimon Rangers, Digimon with unique abilities that dedicated themselves to defeating those who would corrupt this world and defending the freedom and lives of good Digimon. Along with these unique abilities, they were also resourceful, and resorted to stratagy instead of always resorting to Digivolution. Their abilities consisted of summoning the Elements, Enhancing certain Skillsets, creating weapons and tools out of data itself, using data to alter their physical form, and the ability to sense, interact, and communicate with the data of all other Digimon".

"That forth one sounds like you, Matthew" Kenji mentioned.

"Actually, no. According to this, it sounds completely different. What Matthew does is take the datastreams from other Digimon to transform and empower himself. This sounds more like just creating a tail, or larger fists, or something. I think Matthew is the last one" Sally mentioned.

"Why? It does not explain his ability to transform" Max mentioned.

"No, but what he does sounds somewhat similar to something else our Digimon have told us. And I think Hawkmon, you suspected this the whole time, right?" Sally mentioned, turning to face Hawkmon.

"Suspected, but not confirmed. What Matthew does is in fact similar to what the various corrupt and evil Digimon have done, though it seems both more refined and more powerful. Normally, any human can only affect their own Digimon partner, but Matthew was able to take data from both Tentomon, and Gomamon. What I find strange is that he did it without harming the Digimon, and from what you told us, actually healed Gomamon. From what I can tell, not only did someone make a more efficient, more effective way at stealing data, but it also became less harmful, which I find confusing as that would be counter productive to the first two goals, and would only make sense if someone made Matthew a Digimon Ranger with the final power. It is said that each Digimon Ranger and their human partners represent a different Heroic trait. Bravery, Compassion, Loyalty, Determination, and Cunning. If I had to guess, someone made Matthew a Digimon Ranger to alter this ability" Hawkmon explained.

"Wait, hold on" Matthew said. "How did I even get this ability in the first place? The first time I even saw I had a datastream was when me and Gomamon were wounded".

"Well, you definitely had to be in the Digital World for this to happen to you. That said and given something this scale, you should remember this happening to you, unless your memory was taken from you. Have you ever been here before, or felt any moments of great pain?" Hawkmon asked.

"Not that I can think of" Matthew mentioned. "And Max would notice the second I was gone".

Kenji walked over to Max, and pulled him a bit away from the group, speaking in a whisper. "So, you going to tell me what happened?"

"You think I would hide anything that might help us figure this out?"

"I think you are abnormally protective about Matthew, and either you both don't want to talk about it, or he does not remember and you are hiding it from him" Kenji mentioned.

"Well, look, you can't tell him okay? Soon after he was born, while in the hospital, he nearly died apparently. Something happened with him, and he was really sick, and it took the nurses longer then usual before they brought him to us. I was only four, so the thought of losing my brother terrified me. I guess I still feel it".

"What was wrong with him exactly?"

"We never found out, but my parents are worried whatever it was will come back at any moment. Whatever made him sick went away before they could do any tests" Max mentioned. "Wait, you don't think that was when they did it do you? That was ten years ago!"

"I don't know. It could be, though I have to admit I doubt it. Why would they wait ten years to take their weapon back anyways?"

"Hey, he is not a weapon he is my brother" Max told him, getting a little bit angry about the implications.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. Its just, if you and your parents have been that observant, and Matthew does not remember anything like that, well...its just really confusing is all" Kenji told him, as Sally, Matthew, and the Digimon walked over.

"You know, I just thought of something. A storm appeared when all of us showed up. You think the fifth one of us appeared in this storm?"

"Yeah. The more of us around, the easier this will be. And maybe even more fun as well!" Matthew added.

==================HH=====================

"Come on Agumon(2006)! There has to be shelter somewhere!" Blaze yelled as they kept running with giant leaves over them, to try and protect themselves from the rain as much as possible. It was heavy and giant, and for some of those he was being litteral. Giant, heavy raindrops. "What is with this storm?"

"I don't know, we have had a lot lately!" Agumon mentioned. "You better learn how to use that Digivice quick, because we have Digimon incoming!"

Several Bakemon showed up. "There he is! Destroy the DigiDestined! Absorb his datastream for the master, so that he will restore our datastreams!"

Suddenly, the Bakemon attacked in full force. Agumon dodged most of them, but got hit by a few. He got off a few Pepper Breaths in response though, hitting a few of the Bakemon. Still, it did not look good. But Blaze refused to give in. "We have to keep going Agumon! We can't let them beat us!"

"Just surrender. Your stubbornness will get you nowhere!" one of the Bakemon told him.

"Its not stubbornness! Its determination!" Blaze yelled as he noticed a group of humans and Digimon aproaching. At the same time, his Digivice activated.

====Datastream Morphing! Stonefist!====

Suddenly, Blaze has these big fists seemingly made of stone. "Alright Agumon, lets show them what happens when we work as a team!"

Blaze managed to punch out one Bakemon, but suddenly, all his attacks went right through them. Then, all the Bakemon suddenly became one big Bakemon. "You shall not deny us!"

"Agumon! Should we explain how stupid he is? One big pepper breath, and I will give it a boost!" he yelled. Agumon shot the largest pepper breath he could muster, but before the Bakemon even had a chance to dodge, Blaze used his stonefists to punch the pepper breath and sent it flying at an increased speed into the Bakemon, allowing it to hit before the Bakemon could dodge. The combination attack did enough damage to reveal it's. or their, datastream.

Blaze's hands quickly returned to normal, and he scanned the datastream. It went into his Digivice, only for it to immediately flow out of it and into Agumon. As the other humans and Digimon came over, he had one question before all others. "Is there any shelter near here?"

=====================HH=====================

"And that is what we know so far" Max told him and Agumon.

"Yeah boss" Agumon told Blaze. "Though, I have heard different stories about the Digimon Rangers in some areas, but I think I will trust the bookworms on this. Generally, I find argueing with a book is one way. Unless its a bookmon, then argueing is just painful, with a lot of paper cuts".

"Yeah, but there is one more thing" Sally mentioned, taking out her Digivice. She hit a button, and it sent out a pulse, revealing everyone's datastreams. Everyone, even all the humans, had one, though Matt's was stronger then everyone elses. "Something I thought needed clarification. Max mentioned Ogremon wanted to enter the human world by absorbing Matt's datastream. Well, it turns out according to the book, humans do have datastreams. Now, for one reason or another, Matt's datastream is bigger and more powerful then all of ours, but according to what I have read, that is not the big issue here. If a Digimon absorbs the datastream of a human, not only could it seriously harm the human, but the Digimon would then be able to freely travel between the human and Digital World. Apparently, the only other way is to wait for a portal to open between the two, force one open, or travel with a human partner".

"Well then" Matt mentioned. "Sounds like we have a plan, a team, and a goal to follow!"

"Yes" Hawkmon agreed. "And something that is also important to remember is what the book said. Until our datastreams are restored enough to Digivolve, we will have trouble in a stand up fight. But in the old stories, the Digimon Rangers were able to use their Rookie forms to take down Ultimates. Until we power up, we will need to be extremely resourceful and clever".

"Alright! Sound like its time we get going!" Max exclaimed, right as lightning struck seconds later. "But, I think we will wait out this storm first".

_Alright, the group is all together! But will they be able to complete their task, or will they got overwhelmed? Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	6. Chapter 6: Power of Teamwork

_Last time on Digimon Rangers, the group found a library to hole inside of while another storm hit. The group learned more about the old Digimon Rangers, and Hawkmon revealed his suspicions regarding Matthew's ability. The group finally met the Fifth member, and fought off a group of Bakemon. Talk about a productive afternoon!_

The group sighed with relief as they finally hit the coastline. It meant they were making progress according to their map, because now they had to follow the coast until they reached Switchboard City, then going into Hollowwood Forest and that will lead them to wherever the map goes.

As they reached the beach, they could not help but notice a building, fairly close by. As they walked closer, they realized what it was. A beachside resort. "Awesome!"

"Maybe they will have some food!" Blaze wondered.

"Maybe they will have nice, warm showers. And soft beds! And new clothes!" Sally added.

As the group approached the resort, they noticed various Digimon relaxing and lounging, as well as a few humans even, DigiDestined. However, as they looked, they noticed something strange. Some of them seemed to be working on some sort of project, and there were various small versions of broadcasting towers and transmitters around. As they kept walking, a Veggiemon approached them. "Let me guess, more stranded DigiDestined?"

"Yeah, sort of. What is going on here?" Max asked them.

"Well, we have most of our rooms booked, but there are three rooms open. Not sure how we are going to fit much more people".

"Wait, why is that an issue?" Sally asked.

"Oh, you don't know yet? The connections between the human and Digital world have been bugged or something. No one can travel between the two anymore, stranding countless humans on this end, and countless Digimon on that end. And apparently, there was a large transport somewhere inbetween. That is what the others outside are working on. The rest of them are in Switchboard City" he told them as he gave them their keys.

Kenji and Blaze shared one room, and Max and Matt the other. Sally took a room to herself. Max quickly noticed that Matthew had disappeared soon after though. "Oh damnit not again".

Max went around to look for Matthew. It took awhile, but eventually he found him in the pool, laying on an inflatable raft. "Where did you get the raft. Wait, hold on, better question, where did you get the swimsuit?"

"Gift shop" Matt replied.

"You..what...where did you even get the money to buy this stuff?"

Gomamon swam up to the surface. "That would be my doing!"

"Guilmon, do you have money?" Max asked him curiously.

"Ummmm...I don't think so, unless I have money I don't know about".

"I spent some of my early days swimming around in the ocean, looking for pearls" Gomamon told them. "They sell really well".

"Where do you even store this money?"

"Inside my ear" Gomamon told him, pointing to his ear. "Its really safe there".

"Right..." Max mentioned. "Well, don't run off like that again. I don't want to lose you".

"Yeah yeah. Just get in the pool already" Matt told him.

"I am not wearing a swimsuit though!" Max replied.

Matt had a mischievous smile. "That doesn't stop the Digimon".

"Yeah...no, not happening. I will just...see what is around".

"Don't forget to take a break!" Matt yelled after him, before lowing his sunglasses. _Doesn't he understand we cant take a break? We are just here to rest, sleep with a nice roof over our heads, before following the map. They say the connections are down, but maybe this route is to a still operational route to the human world. I have to get Matthew back._

========================HH=========================

"So, they have taken stay at a resort?" The Dark Digimon asked his minion.

"Yes, your most honorable Lordship" The ghostly skull faced Digimon, Spectremon, told him. "And I can confirm, they are Digimon Rangers. One of them told me so".

"I see. Well, you know what to do" he told him as he raised the Lantern of Darkness, turning Spectremon into PhaseSpectremon.

======================HH====================

"So, this is what everyone is working on?" Sally asked as she and Hawkmon decided to see what the other humans and Digimon were doing.

"Yeah" one of them mentioned. "We are thinking of using our Digivices as a homing beacon strong enough to reach the transport, but we cant seem to figure out how to get the amplification transmitter high enough to the Digiport. None of our Digimon can Digivolve right now thanks to recent actions, and none of them are strong enough to get it high enough".

"What about multiple Digimon working together?" Sally asked.

"We thought about it, but even then its not enough" he told him. "The name is Tommy, by the way. And this is Gobumon".

"I am Sally, and this is Hawkmon" Sally told him.

"Sally, what about Matthew?" Hawkmon mentioned. "If he Augment Digivolved with Tentomon again, Beetlemon could do it".

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Tommy asked.

"Our friend has this ability to Augment Digivolve by combining his datastream with a fragment of another Digimon's Datastream. He could help us!"

"If he can, that would be perfect!" Tommy mentioned. "Those people stuck out there have not had any of their datastreams stolen. They can push back against any dark Digimon we encounter".

"Alright, I think he was by the pool".

As the group approached, Matthew and Gomamon were by the pool. Matt was just getting out of the water. "Where did you get the swimsuit?"

"Gift Ship" Matt told her. "If Hawkmon has some money, you should have her buy you one".

Hawkmon took out a wallet. "Looks like I have just enough".

"Alright. We need to find Kenji and Tentomon then. Matthew, you think you can turn into Beetlemon again and help them rescue the others trapped in the Digital Bridge?"

"Sure, we just need Kenji and Tentomon" Matt mentioned. "I can only turn into Kumamon at will".

"Someone mention our names?" Kenji asked as he and Tentomon approached. "We decided to see what was around. What are you planning?"

Tommy and Gabumon explained the plan to them, how they planned to rescue the people trapped inside the Digital Bridge between this world and the Digital World that had collapsed and closed itself off. Once they were done explaining, the group agreed it needed to be done.

============================HH==============================

"Ready Matthew?" Sally asked.

"Ready" Matthew told them, reaching towards Tentomon when a massive plasma blast hit the center of the group, knocking everyone down, and Tentomon and Kenji into the pool. Kenji quickly saved Tentomon, but they were too far away. Matthew reached for his Digivice, but the ghost Digimon quickly grabbed it.

"Oh no, you are not doing any of that" PhaseSpectremon told him. "Now, I think its time I dealt with you humans and your Digifools!"

He sent out an attack, targeting Tommy first, but Gabumon dove in front of it, getting seriously hurt but saving Tommy. "Gabumon! No!"

"Its...okay...so long as your safe..." Gabumon told Tommy, as his Datastream appeared.

"That was your first mistake, Ghosty!" Matthew told him, as his own datastream appeared around his hand. He hit it against Gabumon's. "Datastream fusion!"

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve into...Lobomon!====

Lobomon brought out his sword. PhaseSpectremon immediately flew towards him, likely to try and possess him, but his swords of pure light made physical contact with him and knocked him back. "You cannot phase through pure light!"

"Then I will have to beat you down the old fashion way! Plasma Blast!"

Lobomon quickly dodged. Gabumon spoke inside his head. "Thank you for bringing me inside to heal, but we do not have enough power to fight him off".

"Well, the first fusion always requires an actual fusion, but never afterwards to my knowledge. That said, if it was a choice, I would have still chosen it. And we do not need power alone to beat him" Matthew mentioned with strength and enthusiasm.. "Because you see, I am a Digimon Ranger. We don't just use pure power".

Lobomon smiled. "Tentomon! Think you can stir up a storm? You will know when! Gomamon! I need a large cannonball!"

Kenji looked around, and Matt could tell he knew what he meant. However, before Gomamon could say anything, they heard something from high above. Lobomon looked up, and it was Blaze, Max, Agumon, and Guilmon were standing on the roof. Max and Blaze had gotten their own swimsuits somehow, and that is when Veggiemon joined them. "You wanted a cannonball? Lets enhance the effect!"

====Datastream Modify! Maxwell and Guilmon Water Element Modification!====

====Datastream Morph! Blaze and Agumon Heavy Mass Morph!====

Kenji and Sally also knew how they and their Digimon could help apparently.

====Datastream Enhancement! Ninja Skillset!====

====Datastream Manipulation! Ensaring Rope Whip!====

Sally and Hawkmon went to opposite sides of PhaseSpectremon, and used the weapons to keep him still. Tentomon and Kenji quickly had a bunch of wires connect all the transmitter and beacon prototypes so they all connect around and to PhaseSpectremon. The giant cannonball caused PhaseSpectremon to get completely soaked, and then Tentomon took his position at one of the towers.

Maxwell and the others quickly got out of the pool. "The reason we are called the Digimon Rangers is that we do not need power alone to defeat you. Tentomon, lets show him why water and electricity don't mix!"

"Oh no..." PhaseSpectremon realized, and Tentomon plugged the towers in, and then added in his own electrical attacks to zap PhaseSpectremon. Once that was done, Lobomon jumped up, and stabbed him right through the chest.

His datastream quickly revealed itself after that blow, and Matthew and Gabumon de-digivolved, with Gabumon healed a fairly good bit, before Matthew absorbed his datastream into his Digivice, destroying PhaseSpectremon. Then, the datastream went out of the Digivice and into Gomamon, Tentomon, Agumon, Guilmon, and Hawkmon. Tentomon, having fought him before though with no reward, seemed to get the most.

"Gabumon, are you alright?" Tommy asked. "Who was that guy, anyways?"

"It looked like Spectremon digivolved. Anyways, at least we beat him" Max mentioned.

"One step closer to regaining our Digivolutions!" Gomamon mentioned.

"Sounds like a good way to end the day to me" Blaze added.

"Not just yet, there is one more thing we need to take care of" Kenji mentioned, looking at Tentomon and Matt.

========================HH=====================

"How much further?" Beetlemon asked as he and the rest of the flying Digimon got it as high as they could.

"Just about...there! Alright, everyone activate your Digivices!" Tommy told them.

As they did, light shot out of their Digivices into the amplifier, which then shot a powerful signal made of light into the sky, opening some sort of Digiport. As it did, some sort of flying boat came out of it and landed right in the water. There were still people on it too.

"It worked!" Tommy yelled. "We did it!"

"And we can use that boat to get an express trip to Switchboard City" Max added. _And hopefully, they will know a way for me to get Matt home..._

Max had a strange feeling though it would not be easy. At least they were able to use the Title of Digimon Ranger to requisition some swimsuits.

_About time they got some perks from that! Another step closer to healing their Digimon, and another badguy defeated! But who is this guy with the Lantern of Darkness? And will he cause more trouble? Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	7. Chapter 7: Switchboard City

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers. The group found themselves at a Seaside resort, and many of the group took the time to relax. They met some other DigiDestined, who were planning to rescue some others who were trapped inside the Digital Bridge between the Digital World and the Human World, which they also learned had completely collapsed, making travel between the two worlds impossible. Spectremon returned in a Digivolved form, and nearly eliminated one of the DigiDestined Gabumon! Matthew managed to save Gabumon, by fusing their Datastreams and removing the damaged one, resulting in Matthew Augment Digivolving into Lobomon. The group then managed to use teamwork and strategy to defeat PhaseSpectremon, and then save the people who were trapped! Talk about a hectic vacation._

_(For the record, the weapons used by Sally and Hawkmon were energized so PhaseSpectremon could not phase out of them)_

As the group reached the city, things were clearly in chaos. Not blowing up chaos, but it was hectic. As the group got off the transport, it looked like the city was in a big state of disrepair. However, not soon after were they aproached by some Knightmon. "Who are you and what is your business here?"

"We are just passing through, staying here for a night or two maybe to rest up" Maxwell told him.

"Yeah, what happened here anyways?" Blaze asked.

"An attack by SkullGreymon, stealing all the datastreams he could of the residents of this city. Until the damage and crimes can be documented, no one can leave Switchboard City. I need you four to come with me to fill out reports. The rest must remain in the city until everything can be cleared and checked out" the Knightmon told him. "No exceptions".

"Fine" Maxwell told him. "Sally, Kenji, keep an eye on Matt for me, okay?"

"Alright" Sally mentioned. Max, Guilmon, Blaze, and Agumon went off with one of the Knightmon, while the others went off to explore the city.

"You know Gomamon, you could not ride on my head all day" Matt mentioned.

"It saves my energy!" Gomamon mentioned with a smile.

"Uh huh" Matt mentioned. "When you are able to Digivolve, I am going to be the one to ride you".

"I have to say, I cant tell if this is them not getting along, or getting along greatly" Hawkmon mentioned to Sally.

"I don't know either. Boys are weird" Sally told her.

"Hey! I think the reverse could be said too!" Tentomon told her.

"Umm, guys" Kenji mentioned. "Where did Matt go?"

The group looked around, and Matthew had apparently gone wandering off again. That is when Tentomon pointed him out, entering one of the buildings. The group followed him, and there was all this machinery inside. "Look at all this stuff!"

"Matthew, please stop running off without saying anything" Kenji mentioned. "Where are we anyways?"

"Its some sort of factory I think. Or generator. Or something. Its just really cool" Matt mentioned.

"Hey, who is that!" a voice asked. A digimon turned the corner, and it was Datamon. "What are you doing here? Who are you?"

"My name is Matthew, and this is my friend Gomamon" Matt told him. "We are stuck in the city until the lockdown ends, and while my brother and our friends talk to the Knightmon or something. I saw this building and got curious, so I came to investigate. You have a lot of advanced stuff here, what is this place?"

"This is, or was, the Digital Bridge Observation and Maintence Center. However, whatever happened to it is beyond our ability to fix or maintain. This was not any simple collapse, someone wanted to make sure no one could get to or from the Digital World" Datamon told them. "Three weeks of being cut off".

"Wait, three weeks?" Matt asked. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. Why?" Datamon asked.

"Because I was kidnapped from the human world by something here in the Digital World only a week or two ago. Someone then managed to send my brother through to save me, because for some reason I ended up in the middle of the jungle instead of wherever they wanted to send me" Matt told him.

"Yeah, me and Kenji arrived only a day or two after them as well, along with our other friend Blaze" Sally told them.

"You know, I am starting to think we have the wrong idea here" Kenji mentioned.

"Are you thinking what I think you are thinking?" Tentomon asked.

"I think he is, and I think I know what it is too" Datamon added.

Kenji nodded. "I think the Digital Bridge did not collapse. I think someone took control of it and shut it down. And whoever sent us here must have somehow managed to gain control long enough to get us through, but then they probably lost control of it again".

"So, wait" Matt said. "The Digital Bridge is not broken, its just locked? That would mean whoever kidnapped me is the one who took control of it then, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah. But why would they kidnap one human?" Datamon asked.

"Digimon Ranger" Hawkmon quickly covered. "We are the Digimon Rangers. Likely he tried to kidnap one before they could all get together. I mean, after all, someone else took control and brought the rest of us here, right?"

"Yeah, I guess that is right" Matt mentioned, following along.

"Well, glad to hear some good news this week. I wonder who managed to take control though? It would explain why none of our diagnostics or repairs work. Its not broken, its just been hacked".

"Can we retake control?" Kenji asked.

"I don't know. Have to check" Datamon mentioned. Suddenly, they heard something bad happening outside, and all seven of them ran out. It was SkullGreymon, attacking people again and stealing their datastreams. Inside its head was a fire. "Its SkullGreymon! He has never attacked so recently to a previous attack though!"

"There is no way we can take him on by ourselves, and I don't see any way to electrocute him like we did with PhaseSpectremon" Tentomon told Kenji.

"We have to try!" Matthew yelled. "Okay, okay. Think. Think. Gomamon, think of anything yet?"

"I thought you were the one thinking!"

"No, I was encouraging you to think!" Matt told him. "Wait, that is it! What if we give him brain freeze?"

"Brain Freeze?" Hawkmon asked. "What is that?"

"Its when you usually drink or eat something really cold too fast, like icecream, and then you get a really bad headache and just want to rest until it goes away" Matt explained.

"SkullGreymon has no brain" Tentomon mentioned.

"Yeah, its made of bones. Which has given me another idea. We shatter him. If we used part of one of the tops of these buildings, smashing it on him could really wound him" Kenji mentioned.

"Alright! Matthew...wait, damnit. How am I supposed to keep the promise to your brother and save the..." Sally started, when she realized Matt was already running off.

"Me and Gomamon will be the bait!" he yelled.

"Alright, now I can honestly say I did not tell Matthew to be the bait" Sally said. "Everyone, lets show them what the Digimon Rangers can do!"

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

====Datastream Manipulation! Jetpacks and Lasos!====

====Datastream Enhancement! Strength Boost!====

Sally and Hawkmon quickly flew Tentomon and Kenji up to the top of a building, before heading off to help trap SkullGreymon so that Kenji and Tentomon can use their strength to break off some of the building.

"I have to say, as much as I like my wings, this jetpack makes me go really fast. I just wish I knew how to use it better" Hawkmon mentioned as he tried to stabilize himself.

Sally looked around, but noticed Datamon had run off. She was curious where he went, but then again, he was probably just trying to avoid getting hurt in the fight. After all, Datamon might be able regain control of the Digital Bridge. He was one of the most important people here.

"Sally, please help!" Matthew mentioned as he and Gomamon continued to ski away from SkullGreymon, who was going after them with force.

"Right. Ready Kenji?"

"Ready!" Kenji replied.

Sally and Hawkmon took positions, and lasoed SkullGreymon as he went into the spot they needed him to stay at while chasing Kumamon and Gomamon. He started to try and break free though, and Sally knew they could not hold him long. "Now Kenji!"

Suddenly, Kenji and Tentomon managed to break a section of the building, and it hit SkullGreymon straight on, burying him in rubble. Matthew and Gomamon went over to the rubble, but kept a semi safe distance. A few Knightmon, as well as Maxwell and Blaze, also showed up. "What happened?"

"Well, you made it seem like we could not directly out power SKullGreymon, so we dropped part of a building on him. We figured the whole building might be a bit excessive" Matthew mentioned.

=================HH=======================

Matthew just sort of stared at the rubble, wondering if that was really it. Suddenly, the rubble shifted a little, and SkullGreymon burst out from it, growling and spewing out fireballs wildly. However, suddenly Datamon's voice came over the city intercom. "Everyone get on high ground now!"

As they did, a giant wave of water came through the streets, and hit SkullGreymon. As well as weakening it, the fire inside SkullGreymon's head was put out. Datamon showed up soon after. Sally went over to greet him. "What did you do?"

"Redirected various waterflow from various pipes to create one big giant wave that helped weaken him" Datamon mentioned. "Hackers rule! Also, I think I weakened his fire abilities by putting out that flame".

SkullGreymon then got back up, and seemingly unable to muster a fire attack, threw a few large boulders at the group. Matthew and Gomamon jumped into the water to try and dodge them. The Knightmon destroyed most of them, but one large one was headed right for Kumamon and Gomamon still, with no time to block. Sally screamed as loud as she could. "Matthew, look out!"

"Here! Take this!" Datamon said, as he sent Gomamon an uncorrupted datastream. Matthew's Digivice then activated.

"Digivolution Activated".

====Gomamon Digivolve to...Ikkakumon!====

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon yelled as it smashed the boulder with its Harpoon Torpedo, which seemed to regrow instantly. Matthew quickly climbed on top of Ikkakumon, who was floating on the water.

"Told you I would get revenge and ride you instead!" he said with a smile, before Sally saw him whisper something into his ear. "Now, lets show this overgrown bully what we are made of!"

"SkullGreymon is still an ultimate! They don't have a chance!" one of the Knightmon said.

"Matt, run away!" Max yelled.

"Its okay, I know what I am doing!" Matt said. "After all, its not like this thing can charge me with all four of its limbs running!"

SkullGreymon, who was infact within earshot, started to do exactly that. Ikkakumon smiled. "I think he just fell for our trap! Blizzard Breath!"

Suddenly, the water SkullGreymon's arms and legs were in froze solid, and no matter how much he struggled, he was unable to get out. He was trapped. Matthew got off Ikkakumon, and walked up to the helpless SkullGreymon. "What...do you plan to do with me?"

"Datamon, hook me up to the intercom" Kumamon told Datamon. Datamon quickly did that, so Matthew's voice echoed throughout the city. "Attention Citizens of Switchboard City! They tell me I did not have the power alone to defeat SkullGreymon, yet I proved them partially wrong at least by trapping him. That is why I speak to you now. I do in fact believe, many of you lost your Datastreams! Well, he is trapped, his fire is out, so he is defenseless! Are you ready to take back what he stole!"

Many Digimon came out of hiding. Starmon, Burgermon, and a variety of others all came out and surrounded SkullGreymon. All of them cheering, and asking for the return of their stolen datastreams. "Sounds like the crowd has spoken, Kumamon!"

"I agree Ikkakumon!" Matthew said, as he de-digivolved and took out his Digivice. SkullGreymon's datastream appeared, and instead of taking all of it, he had all the stolen datastreams return to their rightful owners, before taking the remaining datastreams for himself and Ikkakumon. SkullGreymon then de-digivolved into BlackGreymon.

Matthew and Ikkakumon walked over to Datamon, and then Ikkakumon de-digivolved into Gomamon. Matthew then sent Datamon a full, uncorrupted datastream. "I believe that belongs to you".

"Thank you, Matt" Datamon told him.

"Thank you from us as well" one of the Knightmon told him. "Given what you have done, you are all free to come and go whenever you wish. You have more then earned it".

"And you managed to Digivolve!" Sally mentioned to Gomamon.

"Yes. That means the rest of us must be close as well" Hawkmon added.

"Yeah! Just wait Gomamon, we are going to show everyone just how awesome we are!" Matt yelled.

Gomamon jumped up and gave him a high five. "Yeah!"

_Woah! Gomamon managed to Digivolve, and they saved Switchboard City. But who took control of the Digital Bridge? Whoever it is sounds like trouble, which is likely instore for our heroes. Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	8. Chapter 8: The Ol' Switcharoo!

_While visiting Switchboard City, Max and Blaze got stuck doing City Entry Paperwork, and the group was forbidden from leaving to reduce crime. But that did not stop SkullGreymon from terrorizing the city again, and stealing people's datastreams! The group created a well thought out plan to stop him, but he was only weakened. When Matthew was nearly crushed, Gomamon digivolved into Ikkakumon and helped finish off the overgrown Digimon. Everyone's datastreams were restored, and they learned that the Digital Bridge wasn't broken: It was hacked!_

"Can too!" Matt mentioned.

"Can not! I already tried, its not possible!" Datamon mentioned as he walked with Matt and Gomamon through the market.

Matthew crossed his arms. "Can too! I can totally hack the Digital Bridge and regain control of it!"

"Can not! Whatever is blocking the connection, its got more power then all of Switchboard City! This would take a lot of computers, and a lot of power" Datamon told him. "I am the best computer expert in this whole city, and I am telling you I can get it done!"

"So? I figured out a way into my brother's email, and my school systems. In first grade" Matthew replied.

"Aren't you in first grade now?" Datamon asked.

Matthew's face got really red at that point. "Nu uh am not! I am in fifth grade nearly an adult now!"

Gomamon smiled. "Big enough so that his head is comfortable!"

"Very funny" Matthew told him. "Just wait!"

Matthew felt something strange happen really quick. He looked down, and he was in his underwear, still wearing his backpack, but his shoes were gone too. He looked behind him, and it was a new Digimon running away with them. Kosokutemon, known for his fast hands and theivery ways. Not to mention his black bandit mask and black gloves. He especially loves going after celebraties, as well as litterally stealing clothes off of someone's back, or anywhere on their body!

"Get back here!" Matthew yelled, as he, Gomamon, and Datamon chased after them.

====================HH=============================

Blaze was walking down the street, when a Digimon ran past him holding some fairly familiar belongings. Then he noticed Matt in his underwear, Gomamon, and Datamon running after the Digimon. He and Agumon turned around, and saw that it ran into an old looking building. "Hey you want a fight! Come and get it!"

Blaze and Agumon ran into the building, and Matthew, Gomamon, and Datamon ran afterwards, however the doors locked themselves shut before Datamon could enter. Inside was a House of Mirrors. To make things worse, all the mirrors around them started to shift and change, dividing all of them up.

"So, trap?" Agumon asked.

Blaze nodded. "Yeah, looks like it".

Suddenly, Agumon got pulled behind a mirror, only to fall out between two other mirrors that closed together, a bit beaten. "Agumon! What happened!"

"Its not a what, its a who!" Agumon warned him. "Its Mercurymon!"

Suddenly, both Agumon and Blaze got pulled through a mirror, and hit each other when they came out of other mirrors. "This is getting annoying!"

"You are telling me! How many times do we need to get hit?"

"You normally enjoy it. Lets you know who to hit back" Blaze mentioned.

"Well do you think I can actually do that right now?!" Agumon asked. "Cause if I punch any mirrors, it could be bad luck! Or I could be pulled into Mercurymon's world!"

"Hey, where is Matt anyways?"

Suddenly, they saw Matt appear in several mirrors, asking for help. However, that is when Blaze noticed something too. Kosokutemon was litterally trying to steal his clothes, and his digivice, off of him! And he already had his shoes!

"Okay! This has gone on long enough! Ready Agumon? I think its time we made our own luck!"

As Blaze took out his Digivice, another Agumon showed up with a Digivice. "Don't trust him Blaze! This entire place is an illusion! That Agumon is not me!"

"Thats impossible! Look, he has a different Digivice, but you still have your own Blaze!" Agumon mentioned. This resulted in the second Agumon punching the first right in the face. "This was all a trap to switch out your Digivice and me for a fake Digivice and a fake Agumon!"

"You cannot believe a think he is saying!" the first Agumon yelled as he punched the second right back. "Now shut up you liar, and let me speak!"

"So you can lie to him liar?!"

"YOur the one that is lying liar!"

The two Agumon's began to fight each other.

================HH=================

Matthew and Gomamon found themselves stuck in some sort of void place. A place between mirrors, it seemed. A digimon descended from nowhere and faced them. "Well hello there human. My name is Mercurymon, and it seems like you are in a bit of trouble. You see, don't bother pleading or crying or anything, because no one can hear you scream! There is a nice little price on your head, though I think the Digimon is expendable!"

"You are not taking away my friend!" Matthew yelled.

"Well what are you going to do? Kosokutemon stole your pants, and with it your Digivice!" he cackled. His cackling turned to worry however when Matthew took a Digivice out of his hat. "What the...how is this possible!"

"Datamon made a decoy Digivice just in case! Now your in big trouble!" Matthew yelled.

====Gomamon Digivolve to...Ikkakumon!====

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

"You think you can beat me! Even with your Digivice, I am still more powerful!"

"Oh yeah! Give em the ol one two!" Matthew told Ikkakumon.

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

"Snowball Blaster!"

==============HH===================

As the two Agumon's fought, suddenly Mercurymon, Ikkakumon, and Kumamon came bursting through one of the mirrors. One of the Agumon's used this as a distraction to pepper breath the other Agumon, knocking him away. "Blaze, help! Please! Its me, not him!"

"Don't listen to him! He is just trying to trick you!" the other Agumon said.

"No! I am not! I am your friend!"

Then, Blaze knew immediately who was the real Agumon. He quickly held the other Agumon back. "Now, get him Agumon!"

"With pleasure!" Agumon yelled, using pepper breath and defeating the false Agumon. Blaze quickly captured the datastream, only for Kumamon and Ikkakumon to get thrown at them by Mercurymon. The datastream then went out of his Digivice and into Agumon, and the symbol of Digivolution appeared on it.

"Any last words, human?" Mercurymon asked.

"Yeah! Agumon, you need to Digivolve now!" Blaze yelled.

====Agumon digivolves to...Gr...Gr...Agunimon?====

"Huh, I thought I would become Greymon" Agumon mentioned, before refocusing on Mercurymon.

"Hmmm, it seems like this place has created a disturbance in datastreams" Mercurymon mentioned. "Changing and altering things. I should remember this for later".

"There won't be a later!" Agunimon mentioned. "Pyro Blaster!"

====Datastream Morph! Spike Fists!====

Suddenly, they both had Spiked Fists, and together with Kumamon and Ikkakumon, launched an all out attack against Mercurymon. Mercurymon tried to shield himself from all the damage, but the power broke though. Before he could be defeated however, he opened up a portal behind him using a mirror, and ran through.

"Hey you never paid me!" Kosokutemon yelled as he ran after Mercurymon.

"I don't think so" Kumamon mentioned, grabbing Kosokutemon and lifting them by the collar of their shirt. "Now, where is my stuff!"

"Uhhh...please don't hurt me?" Ksoskutemon asked.

"Stuff. Now" Kumamon told him.

"Okay okay! I left it in the back closet! Now please let me go!"

Matthew found the closet, and opened it up. All of his stuff was inside, so he de-digivolved. However, as he was walking in, he felt something strange. He immediately backed into the closet, and moved his hat to cover his body. "Kosokutemon! Really!? My underwear!"

"I was paid to finish the job. So..."

"You touch my hat, and I will end you! Now give them back!" Matt yelled. His underwear was thrown in his face, and he closed the door angry to get dressed.

============HH===================

When they finally left the building, Matthew and Blaze both kepr their eyes on Kosokutemon. "Now, if you take my stuff, or my brothers stuff, or the stuff of anyone else we know, there is going to be trouble. Okay?"

"I promise I wont do it any more from this point" Kosokutemon said. "For at least a week".

"Wait, any more from this point?" Matthew asked, looking down. His pants were gone again, and Kosokutemon was holding them. "Hey!"

The pants were thrown in his face, obstructing his view long enough for him to get away.

"You okay Matt?" Blaze asked as Matt put his pants back on.

"I don't trust that guy" Matt mumbled, before Datamon showed up with the others.

"Matt! Are you okay!?" Max asked.

"Max. Why do you have a camera in your hand?" Matt asked, a bit annoyed.

"Uhh, no reason" Max said, stuffing it away in his pocket. He then looked towards Blaze. "What happened?"

"Hey! Why don't you ask me!" Matt yelled.

"Don't worry, just trouble with a thief" Blaze told him. "Nothing to worry about. Agumon can Digivolve also".

And at that point, planning for their trip and everyone asking for details around Agumon's digivolution captivated most of them. However...

================HH========================

"Did you manage to plant it successfully?" the dark Digimon lord asked Mercurymon.

"Yes, my Lord Master. I laced the Dark Datastream into his clothing. Slowly, but surely, it will darken him".

A few bat Digimon flew around them, before flying off in the distance. "Excelent. I want the prize that the others seek. I want this boy's ability".

======================HH==========================

"Ta da!" Matthew mentioned, showing off some new marks he had spray painted onto his clothes. "This is our new Ranger's Sigil. Its like, our mark we put on our stuff to show we are Digimon Rangers. What do you think?"

"I think the Rangers already had a good Sigil" Hawkmon told him with her arms crossed.

"Well I made this one myself and its really cool!" Matthew yelled.

_What a day! But it sounds like the group is in a lot of trouble. And will we see Kosokutemon again? What exactly is in store for them at the end of this map? Find out next time on Digimon Rangers!_


	9. Chapter 9: Eyes of a Hawkmon

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers, Matt and Blaze ran into a thief name Kosokutemon, who literally stole the clothes off Matt's back! Matt and Blaze chased the digimon into a building, which turned out to be a trap set by Mercurymon. Agumon got switched out by a different Agumon, who then tried to pretend to be Blaze's Agumon. Blaze managed to identify friend from fake though, and Agumon defeated him! Then, Agumon managed to use the datastream from the evil Agumon to Digivolve, but somehow his Digivolution was altered by Mercurymon's trap, causing him to Digivolve into Agunimon instead of Greymon. The group defeated Mercurymon, and Matthew got his stuff back, unknowing that his clothes were a trap itself thanks to Mercurymon. Talk about a fashion disaster!_

As the group traveled through the forest, Max could not help but keep thinking about Matt. Matt was prone to wander and explode and adventure, but he was in serious danger here. _Why cant he see he needs to be careful and stay close? Is he just that blind to danger? I have to keep him safe, but he refuses to make it any easier for me in any possible way_.

"Hello? Are you asleep?" Guilmon asked as they kepted walking. "You were just staring ahead, and you weren't responding. Did I wake you up? Did you manage to walk and sleep at the same time?"

"No, I was just deep in thought is all" Max told him.

"Oh" Guilmon replied. "What does that mean?"

"Its a long story" Max told him.

* * *

Hawkmon and Sally watched as Max and Guilmon continued to talk. Actually, it was mostly Max explaining what deep thought was to Guilmon.

"Why the long face" Sally asked Hawkmon.

"Just worried, is all" Hawkmon mentioned.

"About what?" Sally asked.

"I have never heard anything close to Digimon using humans for their needs. For one to do what they did to Matt, and then to hack the Digital Bridge just to make sure he gets to the Digital World and keep him here...we have a target on our backs. And Matthew, if his ability was used for evil, or taken by someone evil, the damage...I am just worried about what might happen".

"He is our friend though" Sally told her.

"I know, but even friends can be dangerous. Max can only see the danger others pose to Matt, but he is blind to the danger Matthew poses to others" Hawkmon told her. "I am not saying anything drastic. I am just saying that a power like the one he has is dangerous, and great care should be taken with it".

Sally wasnt sure what to say to that, so they decided to keep moving. The rest of the day went by rather peacefully, and once the sun started to set they decided to set up camp. Max took another look at the map.

"It seems like we are about a few days away from wherever this map leads. Hopefully a way out of here" Max commented.

"I don't know. I am starting to like it here!" Matt mentioned. "No rules, no school! Just adventure and excitement! Besides, we are like superheroes! We have to help people!"

"Matt" Maxwell was not smiling. "No, its too dangerous for you".

"Is not!" Matt argued.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"This is not a debate. I am taking you home" Max told him.

"Your not the boss of me!" Matt yelled at him.

"Calm it, both of you!" Sally yelled at them. "Can you both stop argueing for a second? We are tired, so how about we get some rest before we start fighting each other?"

"Fine" they both said, Matthew sleeping a good distance away from Max.

After they were all asleep, Hawkmon found herself waking up hearing a strange noise. Sally seemed to have been woken up by it as well. As they went to investigate, they heard some voices coming from behind a tree. They peeked out from behind it, they saw some kid with a Terriermon. However, the kid and the Terriermon turned around and spotted them. "Oh, hi. We wake you up?"

"Who are you!" Hawkmon quietly demanded. "Are you following us?"

"Not entirely" the kid mentioned. "We are looking for something. Its complicated, hard to explain. And apparently, it is somewhere in this area".

That is when they heard a strange noise coming back from the campsite. They ran back, only to see that everyone was still asleep, but all the light seemed to have been sucked out. That is when they saw a strange digimon in the darkness, before seeminly disappearing into the black.

"Its not friendly" the kid mentioned, taking out his Digivice. "Name is Jack, by the way".

"Sally. And this is Hawkmon" Sally told him as she tried to wake up the others. "They wont wake".

"They are stuck in a dream state. Very few Digimon hold this power" Jack told her.

"And fewer work together!" a voice announced. DarkCalumon and NightTerrormon jumped out, prepared for battle. "We won't give you what you want!"

"Then I will have to take it from you!" Jack told them. Sally took out her Digivice, and scanned the Digimon.

"DarkCalumon and NightTerrormon, both of them Artificial Digimon, a Corrupted Holy and Dark Beast Digimon. Looks like DarkCalumon's Shadow Dream's attack can keep people locked in slumber, and so can NightTerrormon's Terrorscape. Any single ability could be broken, but both abilities on already sleeping targets is inesccapable from the inside!"

"We have to save them!" Terriermon announced.

"Don't worry, we have this" Sally mentioned. "Ready Hawkmon?"

"Ready!"

====Datastream Manipulation! Light Cannons and Armor!====

Suddenly, both Sally and Hawkmon were armored, and holding light cannons, capable of shooting powerful beams of light that are especially effective against corrupt and dark based Digimon.

"Allow me and Terry to give some assist then" Jack told her. "Now Terry!"

====Jack and Terriermon, Power of Hope activate! Energize!====

_What the...there are no more Digimon Rangers apparently, so what power is that?_ Sally wondered. Hawkmon snapped her out of it though. "We need to defeat them and free our friends!"

"You think a couple of rookies can beat us!" DarkCalumon asked. "You will never get it!"

"Oh yeah? Lets show them what we can do Hawkmon!" Sally yelled. She and Hawkmon fired their light cannons at them, which definently seemed to do damage. Meanwhile, Jack and Terriermon flanked them, firing their own light attacks. However, NightTerrormon managed to directly hit Terriermon with a Darkened Slash attack, which seemed to wound Jack as well. Sally and Hawkmon quickly took the moment to attack NightTerrormon before he shifted focus, dealing enough damage to reveal his datastream. Sally quickly scanned it, and immediately after it went out of her Digivice and into Hawkmon.

They then fired at DarkCalumon, but DarkCalumon projected a shield to prevent the attacks from hitting him. "You do not have the power to beat me! Nor to save your friends!"

DarkCalumon then fired at Max and the other sleeping Rangers with a dark energy blast, but Sally dove in front of it. Hawkmon lept after her. "Sally no! I will save you!"

Suddenly, Sally's Digivice activated.

====Hawkmon Digivolve to...Aquilamon!====

Aquilamon's armor was now big enough to take the whole hit, preventing anyone else from getting injured. "You okay Sally?"

"Yeah, I am fine. You managed to Digivolve though!" Sally announced. "Lets show him the true power of the Digimon Rangers!"

Aquilamon nodded. "Yeah!"

DarkCalumon started to back away a little. "Hey, I was just defending myself! No hard feelings, right?"

"You should have chosen better friends" Aquilamon told him. She then hit DarkCalumon with an attack strong enouugh to seriously injure him, and knocking him back into a tree as Jack got up. The others also started to wake up, apparently having had some really bad dreams. Jack went over to DarkCalumon.

"Now, tell me what you know DarkCalumon. Tell me everything about the Digital Core" Jack demanded, as the others walked over. Sally explained to them what happened while they were asleep.

"What do I know that you don't yourself. We both know the legends. The Digital Core exists at the center of all Digital Worlds, accessible by all and none. And clearly, you know enough to jump between Digital Worlds like me and NightTerrormon did" DarkCalumon told him.

"Don't lie to me. You know more then you let on" Jack said in a threatening manner.

DarkCalumon sighed. "Only a legend. And I didn't mention it right off the bat because I don't know if its true or not. Supposedly, the hybrid will either be the key to accessing the Digital Core, saving it, or destroying it. The legend is sketchy at best, cryptic at worst. I believe the official translation is 'Doom will occur and the hybrid will stand at the center, known to have been what made the battle possible at all'. People disagree whether it means the hybrid will bring about the doom, or will be the only chance of it being saved at all".

Sally and Hawkmon both could not help but notice Jack reacted to the word Hybrid. Not only that, they had a good idea of what a hybrid was. Something, or someone, that was both human and Digimon. Something Matthew seemed to fit just nicely as.

Guilmon ended up asking what a hybrid was anyways.

"A hybrid is something of both human and Digimon origin or construction. The first attempt was made by someone named Myotismon years ago from where I come from, and then he got close after he became VenomMyotismon. He also tried again a few years later, using dark seeds and a grieving, misguided man. There was an organization who was interested in the same thing. There was also a thing created called Biomerge Digivolution. How it happened at first still remains a mystery, just that it only worked temporarily. There were also a few who were infused with the spirits of Legendary Warriors, but that is even more obscure" Jack told them. "Then there are...rare exceptions".

"So, what he said" Matt mentioned. "Are you like, from another world?"

"Yeah, sort of. I am touring all of the Digital Worlds I can find after what happened...what I saw. I have seen a lot of things. And recently, I have seen a lot of different versions of Digimon-Human hybrid attempts. Too many to be a coincidence".

"Wait, do you mean like me?" Matt asked rather bluntly. "I can turn into Digimon anyways. Only one out of all of us who can".

This seemed to catch Jack's attention. "Yeah, that sounds exactly like what I mean. How did this happen?"

"Don't know. Arrived at the Digital World, could do Datastream fusions. Its not really that hard" Matt told him.

Jack looked through his journal. "It seems like its rare anyone ever knows how. Alright then, at least this gives me another lead to track down. Maybe I will run into you later then, but I better get going. Sounds like we both got work to do..."

_Woah! Talk about a revelation! But what does this mean for Matt? And what about this whole Hybrid situation? Will this cause even more tension between the group? Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	10. Chapter 10: Kenji's Trials

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers, Jack showed up and revealed his goal to the rangers: Investigating constant variations of the Digimon/Human Hybrids, such as Spirit Digivolution, Biomerge Digivolution, and whatever Matthew does. DarkCalumon and NightTerrormon showed up, on the run from Jack, but they were quickly defeated after Hawkmon digivolved into Aquilamon. Once the two were defeated, Jack explained himself before departing. Talk about crossing worlds..._

Max was siting by the river with Guilmon when Kenji and Tentomon showed up. "So what are you doing here?"

"Its Matt" Max said as he turned towards them. "He has always been a free spirit, and a bit of a rockhead. But he cant honestly think he can stay here in the Digital World, can he? It is simply too dangerous!"

"I think the more you try to force it on him, the more resistant it will be. That said, Matt has been acting rather strange. But listen, I am sure he will be fine. He is the Ranger of Compassion, after all".

"Yeah, I know...but if I admit that, then I would have to admit the Digital World needs him...and I cant do that. I have to think about his safety".

"I think that while you might be his brother, I doubt you can just tell him what to do all the time. Just imagine how he feels, being bossed around all the time?" Tentomon added to the conversation.

"I am his brother though!"

"Yeah, and exactly how does that reasoning work so far?" Kenji pointed out. _Trust me, I know from experience, people wont just do what you say._

That is when Hawkmon flew back. "Guys, we found the entrance to where the map is leading us too!"

Max, Kenji and the Digimon immediately ran back to the others with Hawkmon. In front of them was some giant dual black metal doors in the middle of nowhere.

"So, do we open them, or press a doorbell, or something?" Blaze asked.

"How about we just try pushing" Matthew mentioned, pushing on the doors which caused them to open. As they entered, it appeared to be some sort of giant castle that showed up only on the inside. The doors then immediately shut behind the group, trapping them inside as they disappeared completely. Suddenly, these strange tentacle things grabbed everyone and dragged them off into seperate rooms. Suddenly, the tentacle was gone, but Kenji was not in any normal room. There was only one floor, and one wall, with one door. The door had six hexagon keys in front of it, but only five hexagon openings. Additionally, right above the whole floor was a giant weight that looked like it was about to fall, and an hourglass in the middle of the floor that looked like it just started.

"Looks like we are up Tentomon. We don't have time to waste!" Kenji mentioned, so they both ran to the door. There were lines on the keys, and the keyholes.

"I do not like this situation! Why did we have to open the scary doors attached to nothing!" Tentomon yelled.

"Because Tentomon, the map lead us here. In retrospect, why did we not consider it to be a trap?"

"Lets just focus on the puzzle. So, what is it? What do we choose!"

Kenji looked at all the keys. It was strange, being in this incomplete room, but he shrugged it off. He found out which of the keys fit, when something occured to him. He picked up the key that did not fit. "I figured it out Tentomon"

"What is it?"

"The room is incomplete, so the door must be incomplete too" he said, putting the key that did not line up with all the other lines in the center, and turning it.

Suddenly, the room they were in was a large cube shaped one. There was a stone platform that he was standing on, and then various stone tiles all around him that led to four doors. A voice spoke out to him.

"Welcome, Kenji" a voice called out. Suddenly, four hourglasses showed up, each with a different friend and their Digimon. "You see, here is your task. You have to choose which friend you want to save. The first one you step towards lives, the other three die. Oh, and by the way? YOu have one minute to decide!"

Suddenly, each hour glass started to fill with sand. The others beat on the glass, trying to get out, but nothing worked. As time went on, he had this impossible choice. BLaze, Matt, Max, or Sally. Each one was equally important. HOw was Kenji supposed to choose. And then, something else happened. The whole room shook, and suddenly the hourglasses were gone, replaced by Bakemon. "These things again?"

"Of course! This is a Bakemon haunted house! But then, what is causing all this damage?"

* * *

Gomamon could tell something was wrong with Matt. "You...you think you can take away my friends, and my brother, and that I would just let you do this!"

There was a dark energy around him, dark Datastreams. Not naturally, something artificial about it. "Matt, you okay!"

"No, I am not!" Matt yelled, sending out a wave of darkness that destroyed part of the walls. "I am angry!"

"Oh this is not going to end well!" Gomamon yelled as some debries went flying. Suddenly, they could see Kenji and Tentomon in the next room. "Quickly! Help! Something is wrong!"

====Dark Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Duskmon!====

* * *

Whatever Duskmon was, it was giving off an aura that was unnatural. Kenji could tell, this would be a powerful fight. One of the Bakemon was seriously hurt, but went after Kenji and Tentomon anyways. Tentomon took him out anyways, and absorbed his datastream, as Duskmon then attacked them!

"Matt! Its us! Stop fighting!"

"I...can't! I wont! I wont let you tear me away from what I want!" Matt yelled. "I know you are conspiring with my brother!"

"Oh you have got to be..." Kenji mentioned. "Ready Tentomon?"

====Datastream Enhancement! Warrior Skillset!====

However, Duskmon striked too quickly, and was about to hit Kenji. Tentomon charged forward. "Kenji no!"

====Tentomon digivolves to...Kabuterimon!====

Kabuterimon charged into Duskmon to save Kenji. "You okay?"

"Yeah! Just find a way to cool Matt down!" Kenji told him.

"Hold on! Its not his fault!" Gomamon mentioned, as Sally, Blaze, Max, and their Digimon also climbed over to Kenji. "I saw DarkDatastreams come out of his clothing! Somethign is controling him!"

"How did it get into his clothing?!" Max asked.

"Mercurymon and Kosokutemon! Its a long story" Blaze mentioned.

Kabuterimon got knocked back into a wall. "Is this going to be enough?"

Suddenly, the floor beneath them started to break apart, and the only way out was going up a staircase. As they and their Digimon ran up the staircase, they ran through a doorway and closed it behind them, practically dragging Max the whole way away from his brother.

"Now...we need to think of a plan" Kenji said.

_Uh oh, things don't look so good! Will they be able to save Matt, or will things go from bad to worse? Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	11. Chapter 11: Brother vs Brother!

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers, the group got stuck in some strange castle and got separated. Kenji had to complete a bunch of trials in order to progress. However, the DarkDatastreams that had infected Matt finally took control, and forced a Dark Digivolution to Duskmon! Duskmon started causing chaos everywhere, and the rest of the group re-united and took shelter in another room. Talk about a difficult situation!_

"So, anyone have any ideas yet?" Kenji asked.

"Head to the Atrium" their Digivices spoke out. "You will find what you need in the Atrium's Star Table".

"Well that was helpful...and cryptic" Sally mentioned.

"If it means something that will help my brother, then lets go" Max told them.

The group started to run towards there, only right in front of the door was Mercurymon, two Veggiemon, and a Gotsumon.

"Everyone! We need to fight together!" Kenji yelled.

====Datastream Modify! Maxwell and Guilmon Electric Element Modification!====

====Datastream Morph! Blaze and Agumon Warhammer arm!====

====Datastream Enhancement! Samurai Skillset and Strength!====

====Datastream Manipulation! Mega Blasters!====

====Agumon Spirit Digivolves to...Agunimon!====

====Hawkmon Digivolves to...Aquilamon!====

"Kabuterimon! Show that big mirror what it feels like to shatter!" Kenji yelled.

However, Maxwell and Guilmon ran off ahead. "You bastard Mercurymon!"

SUddenly, the door behind Mercurymon blasted open from the inside and four bolts of energy shot out, hitting each of their Digivices. Suddenly, their Digivices seemed to change, becoming more advanced and more powerful. "What the...what is going on here? Minions, get him in the name of our Dark Lord!"

However, Guilmon quickly took out the Veggiemon, his strength drawing from Maxwell's rage and compassion for his brother. "I wont let you win!"

That was when his Digivice activated on its own. "Digivolution: Activated!"

====Guilmon Digivolve to...Growlmon!====

Suddenly, Duskmon charged through the door they had sealed. However, he then let loose a series of dark bolts at everyone, including Mercurymon! "I...CAN NO LONGER...CONTROL...POWER!"

"What! What be this madness, Duskmon! You should have total control of the human by now!"

"Must...destroy...EVERYONE!" Duskmon yelled.

"What the blazes is wrong with you! YOu are under our master's control!"

"No! I am not! I...AM...CHAOS!" Duskmon yelled, rampaging all around. Mercurymon got hit, and his datastream was revealed.

"Max! Mercurymon caused this! Absorbing his data might break the spell on your brother!"

"Right! Datastream, Absorption!" Max said, and Mercurymon's data went into his Digivice. Suddenly, a symbol appeared. "What the..."

Duskmon then smashed Max against a wall. "You! You remind me of pain! Of Anger! You mean! YOu must be destroyed! Me destroy you!"

Growlmon quickly bit Duskmon's arm, allowing Max to get free. Then Max realized something. "Guimon! You digivolved without any Datastreams!"

"The power inside this castle...someone else is here, feeding me strength!" Growlmon told him.

Suddenly, a voice spoke out to Max. "Listen, human! There is only one way to save your brother now! You must use the power of Steel! Use it now!"

"What...but how?"

"YOu absorbed his datastream! Now harness the power of his warrior spirit!" the female voice said.

"Alright!" Max yelled, taking out his Digivice. "Spirit, Activate!"

_SUddenly, a beam of light engulfed Max. The Spirit emerged from his Digivice and entered his chest, and beams of light hit all over his body. The beams of light materialized into Mercurymon's presence, and Max took on his form._

====Max Digi-Spirit Evolve into Mercurymon!====

Growlmon and Max them teamed up. "Alright little brother! I hate to do this, but its time I gave you a proper brotherly beating!"

"You mean you angry you want to control me me destroy you me hate you!"

"Snap out of it Matt! I am your brother!"

"I know who you are me still hate you!"

Duskmon managed to knock them both back. "He knows who we are! Why cant he fight this?!"

"Its his anger! You are trying to control him so much, his emotions are making this worse!"

"Matt! You need to remember the good times!" Max yelled.

"YOu forgot me birthday!" Matt yelled, with his grammar noticably taking a hit.

"Matt! But what about all the good times we have had?" Max asked again, which seemed to cause Duskmon to go further into a rage. "What about the time I helped teach you how to ride a bike? Or the time we both rushed into the dining room so fast we got a face full of pie and caused us to laugh? What about the good times, at the beach, and the water park, and the amusement part?! YOu have to focus on those!"

This seemed to stun Duskmon, if only for a moment. Then, the female voice returned. "Now, you must use all of your Digivices to purify the corrupted code inside of him! Use the purification mode!"

"Alright!" everyone yelled. "Purification Mode, Activate!"

Suddenly, four small spinning discs shot out of everyone's digivices and began spinning around Duskmon. "Engage Purification!"

The four discs created a ring of light around Duskmon, which then closed in and was absorbed into him. Duskmon glowed brightly, before turning Duskmon back into Matthew, who was unconscious. Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the center of the room as well.

"Alright" Kenji said. "Who are you? What is going on?"

"My name...is Ophanimon. And I am one of the last few guardians of this Digital World" Ophanimon told them. "Now, there is much I must tell you. We should hurry".

Suddenly, there was a large explosion. "I wont make it that easy for you Ophanimon! DarkPorts, send the team flying!"

"No!" Ophanimon yelled. Suddenly, a Dark Digiport started to open up below everyone, and started to suck them in. Ophanimon shot beams of light at the Digiports, altering them. "I wont let you take them, at least not to where you want!"

"I can still split them up!" the voice yelled. "DarkDigiports, suck them in and then close!"

"Noooo! Matt!" Max yelled, unable to do anything. However, before Matt full fell in, Gomamon made it to him.

"I will keep him safe!" Gomamon shouted, before they all got sucked in.

_Uh oh! Looks like this adventure just got a lot longer...and a lot more complicated! Will Ophanimon be able to help them? Or will they fall into chaos?_


	12. Chapter 12: Darkness Within!

_Last time on Digimon Rangers, Matthew was out of control, and not even Mercurymon could control him while in Duskmon form! Eventually, Mercurymon was dealt a fatal blow, and absorbed by Max! Everyone's Digivice also got an upgrade, which allowed Max to Digi-Spirit Evolve into MErcurymon! Additionally, Guilmon finally Digivolved into Growlmon, yet Duskmon still overpowered them both. In the end, it took all four of them to purge the corrupted Digicode inside of Matt, and return him to his normal self. Ophanimon showed up to give them answers, but before she could explain anything, an evil presence invaded the Castle, and sent all the Rangers off in different directions! Will they be able to survive on their own? What is going to happen to them?_

Matt and Gomamon awoke in what seemed like a swamp or something. The only thing they knew for certain was that they were covered in mud. They both swam and crawled until they finally made it to dry land. "I don't...suppose...you could...digivolve and swim us out of here?"

"Its too muddy for Ikkakumon" Gomamon mentioned. "And too shallow. I would only go even slower, if not getting stuck completely".

Matthew, feeling really uncomfortable, took off all of his clothes since they were all coated in mud. Plus, there was a fish inside his underwear. That just could not be tolerated, and he needed to air those out so they did not smell like fish. After all, who wants underwear that smells like rotten fish?

Matthew started to reach for his backpack, when he noticed it was not there anymore. "What the...where did my backpack go?!"

"It must have been lost during the fall" Gomamon mentioned.

"Well, I guess this just gets better and better" Matt mentioned. "Wait, I know! I can turn into Kumamon, and freeze everything enough so that we can walk out of this swamp!"

Matt pulled out his Digivice, only he noticed something strange. It looked different from before, more advanced. And, it seemed like he could not bring forth a datastream to fuse with. Something had disrupted his ability somehow, though he himself felt disrupted.

Once he got the mud off of his shirt and underwear, he stuffed his socks inside his shoes and stuffed them inside his pants legs, and used that as a makeshift backpack. "Now, less of my stuff will be muddy. Besides, it will be easier to walk barefoot then with mud filled shoes and socks".

"Alright! LEts get going, before any swamp monsters get us!" Gomamon mentioned.

The two of them waded through the shallow parts of the swamp, hoping they were getting closer to the end. However, the swamp just seemed like it was followed by more swamp. It seemed hopeless for a good while.

"HOw big is this swamp?"

"Why is there no way out of this mud?" Gomamon added.

"This is really strange...too strange. I am starting to get a bad feeling..." Matthew mentioned. Suddenly, a large collection of vines seemed to spring out of the mud below and ensnared them both. Before they even had a chance to fight, they were both dragged down under the mud. At first, they both thought they would suffocate, but suddenly, they reached oxygen under one of the mud layers. The vines dragged them down into some sort of swamp underworld, where they saw multiple Digimon ranging from Elecmon to Patamon all chained up and being forced to mine...well, what appeared to be hardened mud.

Suddenly, the vines dropped them off in some sort of atrium, and they were surrounded by guards. Gotsumon, though these Gotsumon looked different then normal Gotsumon. "Alright, two new slaves. Now listen here slaves, don't you even dare try to run, or our boss will come down here and beat you up, got it? You have one job, and that is mining this quality mud which has harded so we can make it soft again and deliver it to our bossman and his clients".

"What is the big idea, ensalving fellow Digimon!" Gomamon yelled, shooting off his big mouth.

"Hey! You think you rookie Digimon can hold up against the power of us MudGotsumon?"

At least that explained what made them seem different from normal Gotsumon. Besides a color difference, they were mud, not rock. The Gotsumon put some sort of collars on the both of them, and then gave them both an electric shock. "You try and do anything suspicious, and we zap you, got it?"

Matt tried to summon a datastream, but couldn't still. Additionally, every time he did he thought of Duskmon...and all the damage he did.

Once the guards had dropped them off at a position, Gomamon looked over at Matt. "What is wrong? Still not working?"

"Its like...it keeps fizziling out after I think about Duskmon. And it seems to be impossible to avoid thinking of him" Matt mentioned.

"Hey, less talking, more mining!" one of the MudGOtsumon yelled, using a whip on Matt causing him to cry out in pain.

"Pffft. Humans, such weaklings" the MudGotsumon said, whipping him again. "You know, this is actually kind of fun, hitting something that cant hit back".

"I can still feel that Digicode inside of me Gomamon...I am afraid, what if it comes out again?"

"You cant be afraid Matt!"

"But what if I hur...OW! Hurt someone else I care about? What about you? What if I use my ability again, and I lose control!"

"You wont, not if you really believe in yourself, and no one is controlling you. Because someone was trying to control you then, and you fought it!"

The MudGotsumon tried to whip Matt again, but Matt caught the whip in his right hand. "You really mean that Gomamon?"

"Yeah! Now show him how we do things our style!"

Matt took out his hidden Digivice. However, some sort of Dark Datastream appeared on his hand, only to instantly get purified. "What the...a Purified Dark Datastream? Alright then! No more being afraid, and no more holding back! If I cant summon any of the others right now, then I will just use this one!"

====Execute! Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolves to...Loweemon!====

Gomamon looked in amasement. "Its the power of Darkness, only...its been turned to the side of good!"

"Yes, and in this dark cave, I have the advantage too, MudGotsumon!" Loweemon shouted. "Shadow Meteor!"

"Nice one!" Gomamon yelled as he took out all of the MudGotsumon. "And now that we have enough room, its my turn!"

====Gomamon Digivolves to...Ikkakumon!====

Ikkakumon then started to use his horn to break the chains on his fellow Digimon slaves, as the head Digimon came down. Monochromon. "You dare disrupt my mud bath!?"

"Yeah! We all do!" Loweemon yelled as Ikkakumon and Matt led a Digimon army against Monochromon. "Shadow Lance!"

"Harpoon Torpedo!"

"Now hold on, maybe we could..." he started, but he was quickly defeated. Matt then quickly absorbed the datastreams of him and the other MudGotsumon.

"Alright everyone! Head towards Monochromon's tunnel! Everyone evacuate in a single file...oh who am I kidding, lets get out of here!"

"Hey, umm..." Gomamon started. "Where did those vines come from?"

That is when they both noticed a group of surprisingly well looking Veggiemon trying to escape with the crowd. "Going somewhere?"

"I can't believe it! They took my backpack!" Matt said, now that he was back in human form.

"I cant believe that some of this mud makes people hallucinate" Gomamon added as the two of them exited the cave into a forest.

"I wont deny one thing, that mud was surprisingly soothing" Matt added as he looked though his backpack. "Oh, those damn thieves. SOme of my stuff is missing! Including my bathing suit, really?"

"Wait, what else is missing?" Gomamon asked.

"I think my homework. Great, my teacher is never going to believe that a bunch of talking vegetables stole my homework. I am doomed!" Matt said, sulking.

"Well at least we still have each other!" Gomamon pointed out.

"True. And I feel back to normal too! I guess I just had to impliment that Purified DarkDigicode".

"Well, it did give you another form to use" Gomamon added.

"Yeah. And now, we go and we find the others!" Matt announced.

"Its time to search the Digital World!" Gomamon agreed, as they both high fived.

_Woah, talk about a new energy! Sounds like nothing can stop them now! But will they be able to make it? And what about the others? Find out next time on Digimon Rangers!_


	13. Chptr13:Guilmon's Bravery,Max's Insight!

_Last time on Digimon: Digi-Guardians! The group got seperated, and Matthew and Gomamon got stuck in a muddy swamp. Eventually, they discovered it was a trap, and were captured by Monochromon and forced into slavery! Matt found himself unable to Augment Digivolve for a time, as he could only summon the Dark Datastreams and he was too afraid to use them. However, his compassion for how the other Digimon slaves were being treated caused him to overcome his fear, and he digivolved using the Purified Dark Datastream into Loweemon and defeated their enslavers! Guess the powers of darkness are not always necessarily evil!_

"Max! Maxmon please wake up!" Guilmon asked as he kept nudging Max's hand. It was freezing, and Guilmon knew Max was in trouble. Eventually, after being unable to wake him up, Guilmon managed to load Max onto his back and started to make a run for the nearest place he thought might offer cover.

Unfortunately, they were currently in the middle of a frozen wasteland, with the only things that could potentially even give them cover being pine trees. Guilmon could start a fire, but currently the only thing flammable he had access to was Max, and he could not gather wood if it meant leaving Max out in the cold.

Eventually, Guilmon found a cave that they could take cover in. "Please Maxmon! Please stay okay while you wait here! I am going to go get firewood!"

Guilmon went out, and used his claws and teeth to rip bark and low handing branches from the trees, and brought it all back to the cave, where he was able to create a fire at a safe distance from Max. When Guilmon checked Max, he soon discovered he had a fever. "Uh oh, this no good! Please get better soon Maxmon!"

Max started to stir a little, but he did not wake up.

* * *

"What the...where am I?" Max asked, standing in a strange, plain black hallway, with a white border around the floor along the walls and around three doors.

"Your mind" Mercurymon told him from behind. Max immediately turned around to face him. "You are currently in your mind".

"What the...what are you doing here! I defeated you!" Max yelled.

"Yes, and when you took my spirit, you freed me from the control of my master" Mercurymon told him. "I am sorry for everything I have done all these years, but I was under full control by my master and could not do anything to stop it".

Max was angry for a moment, and it only increased after he realized what Mercurymon said. "What do you mean all these years?"

Suddenly, the room they were in changed to a hospital room. Max quickly recognized his mother, and he heard a baby crying as well. Max and his father were standing on the sidelines. "I mean, this was sent in motion years ago by my master..."

"Uh oh, something is wrong with the baby! Quickly, get him to an iso room stat!" one doctor said. He turned to face a younger Max and his father. "Don't worry, I am sure he will be back soon enough! We will do everything we can for him, this is probably something minor!"

"Matt!" Max cried out, both versions. Max remembered this like it was yesterday. Only this time, it was not from his view, it was from the view of the doctor. Who Max could now tell was Mercurymon in disguise.

Once Mercurymon and the baby were alone in the room, Mercurymon shed his human form and opened up a portal to the Digital world. A nurse entered, only to turn into Ranamon, the Legendary Hero of Water. "Don't worry, I will keep things covered. YOu just take that boy to the Digital World and implant the Datastreams into him. Are we sure this is the one we want though?"

"Would you rather wait for another compatible human to be born? And have to find him before he is born as well?"

"Alright, alright. I get it sweetie. Don't worry, I will make sure you have the time you need. We cant risk any screw ups, afterall"

Suddenly, they were back in the hallway. Max collapsed onto the ground, crying. "Why...why did you have to use my little brother?"

"We do not know for sure, only that he was compatible. Only our master knows the truth, and he never shared such vital information. Still, Ophanimon seems to have successfully altered his power for good. Originally, it was meant to be a weapon of mass annihilation. Now, it is a weapon for peace against its creator. How interesting that fate took such a turn" Mercurymon mentioned.

* * *

Guilmon kept the fire going, and kept making sure Max was okay. He was afraid, really afraid, but he could not run. He could not abandon his friend, no matter how afraid he was. And then, things only got worse. "Awww, is the little Digimon trying to save his human partner? I wonder how you would feel if something truly bad happened to him...and while he slept, no less".

Guilmon looked over, and saw that it was a BlackAgumon. Guilmon moved himself between BlackAgumon and Max. "I wont let you hurt my friend!"

"I am not going to give you a choice!"

====BlackAgumon Digivolves to...BlackGreymon!====

"Fire Horn!"

Guilmon tried to defend the attack. "Pyro Sphere!"

Guilmon only managed to deflect some of the damage, and instead of dodging the attack and giving BlackGreymon a chance to directly hit Max, took the hit directly. "You fool. YOu cannot stop me. Just stay out of my way, and I will let you live to remember the day I smashed this human to pieces!"

"Never! I am not afraid! I won't let you hurt my friend!" Guilmon shouted defiantly. _Come on Maxmon. Please wake up!_

* * *

All of a sudden, Max and Mercurymon both were standing in the grass, watching as a younger Max helped look after toddler Matt in the park. "You were a very good and devoted brother, you know".

"Were? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean no offense, but that Dark Datastream had to feed off of negative emotion before it could take over. Sometime while you were here, you stopped just trying to look after him, and started to try and control him. This caused him to feel so much hatred for you, the Dark Digicode fed on it like crazy" Mercurymon told him.

"Its just...he wants to stay here, but its too dangerous for him! We have to go home! He has to go home!" Max yelled, clearly upset by the conversation.

"You realize your upset because you know, when push comes to shove, you won't be able to make him come home with you right? You want to control him, but you know you can't. That is why you keep getting upset".

Max looked up towards Mercurymon, as they appeared in the hallway once more. "What am I supposed to do then? How do I get him to go back home?"

"Unfortunately, there may be no way. Its possible that even if you got him to come with you willingly, my master will destroy the link before you can return to the human world".

"Who is your master then?"

"Unfortunately, his identity was lost with the code that he used to control me" Mercurymon told him. "But if you really want to help Matthew, especially if you ever want to convince him to leave, you are going to have to support him and his desires and dreams first".

"Is that it?"

"No. There is one other who you need to stop overlooking. There is another person who you need to care for just as much if not more then your brother. You need to care for Guilmon too...which means you need to wake up".

Max started to cry a little. "I really am stupid, aren't I?"

"Just a bit lost, is all".

* * *

Guilmon got knocked back into a wall, but despite everything, still managed to get up. "I won't...ever back down...to you...or fear!"

"Very well! Then prepare to be destroyed!"

"You are not going to destroy my friend!" a familiar voice shouted from the cave. Guilmon looked over, and it was Max. "Sorry it took me so long to see you more clearly Guilmon. We are partners, I should have paid better attention to you. But I can start correcting that mistake now! YOu still up to fighting?"

"Ready when you are!" Guilmon shouted.

"Alright! Then lets Digivolve!" Max shouted.

====Guilmon Digivolves to...Growlmon!====

====Max Digi-Spirit Evolves to...Mercurymon!====

Max bashed BlackGreymon's head in, followed by a Pyro Blaster from Growlmon. "No! I won't be taken down by some human and his pet!"

"He is not my pet. He is my friend!" Max yelled.

"Oh yeah! Well say goodbye to him! Fire Breath!"

"Dark Reflection!" Max shouted, and shot his own attack right back at him. Then, Growlmon finished him off with Dragon Slash, defeating him and allowing Max to absorb his datastreams, which he then used to help heal Guilmon.

Once that was done, they both de-digivolved. "You okay Guilmon?"

"Yeah! Thank you for waking up! I was really worried!"

"And I am sorry for not giving you enough attention. I was so focused on Max, I barely recognized you were there sometimes. I shouldn't have done that, and I am really sorry that I did".

"Its okay, you are here now!"

"Yeah. And once we are all rested, we search for the others. But first, I have tired you out too much. We rest first".

Guilmon was already starting to drift off into sleep. "Thank you...but after the rest...can we make Snowmen first?"

"Sure thing Guilmon. Sure thing" Max said with a smile. Even with his brother missing, for some reason he felt more at peace now then ever before.

_Woah! Talk about a bonding moment! Guilmon sure proved to be tough though, and its nice to see Max thinking about someone other then Matthew, even if it only lasts a moment. I think he might finally have his head on straight. But will the others be okay in the meantime? Find out next time on Digimon: Rangers!_


	14. Chapter 14: Showdown at the Dojo!

_Last time on Digimon Rangers, Guilmon had to protect Max until he got better and woke up. While he defended him against BlackGreymon, Max was guided through his memories and actions by the purified spirit of Mercurymon, who helped show Max what he had been doing wrong. With Max on the right path, he was finally able to stop thinking about Matthew and was able to give Guilmon the respect and attention that had been neglected, giving them both the strength to defeat BlackGreymon despite having been weakened! About damn time!_

Kenji woke up coughing. He was laying on a bedroll in a room, feeling both disoriented and weird. All of his clothes were missing, but there was a karate robe his size by the door. After putting it on, he looked around for a moment. That was when he spotted his Digivice, and Tentomon. He could not help but notice his Digivice looked different now.

After collecting his Digivice, he woke up Tentomon. "Hey, do you remember what happened?"

Tentomon quickly woke up. "I remember falling through a Digiport...into the ocean".

"We fell into an ocean?"

"I think a rock hit your head" Tentomon told him.

"That would explain the headache".

"Oh good, you're awake!" A Digimon said as he entered the room. The two of them turned around, and it was a Kotemon. "We were worried when we found you on the beach, that you wouldn't wake up! My name is Kotemon! I am the one who found you!"

"Well, thank you for finding us. Where are we exactly?"

Kotemon looked towards the ground. "This is known as...the Dojo of Death..."

Both of their jaws dropped. "Whaaaat!"

"Well, its only called that because no one can ever return from this place" Kotemon told them. "You see, the only exit is guarded by a fierce warrior known as Musyamon. In order to leave, you have to defeat him in kendo, but no one can. And if you lose to him, he consumes all of your data!"

"Then why do people come here in the first place!" Tentomon yelled. "And why bring us here!"

"The beach you washed up on is an inside beach...and the current is too strong to go back that way. The rock is too hard to tunnel through, and you only learn about the whole exit rule once you already entered. Anyways, your clothes were soaking wet, so we got you new ones".

"Well thank you. But why do people enter in the first place?"

"It said 'Free Lessons' on the sign..." Kotemon mentioned, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, we have to find some way to defeat him".

"I agree, we have to look for our friends!" Kenji then had an idea. "You could Digivolve to Kabuterimon, I bet you could beat him then!"

"That might work, but the walls apparently block anyone from Digivolving. Or something in this building does, anyways. BUt no one has ever found anything like that, so we just assume its the walls or something" Kotemon told them. "They also block abilities, so no one can cheat either".

"I see..." Kenji mentioned, thinking. _Why do I get the feeling there is more going on then meets the eye..._

Before he could say anything though, an announcement sang out. "Another opponent has been defeated! Musyamon: 1940, Opponents: 0!"

"Wow. That many people challenged him?"

"Yep. And that many people lost" Kotemon replied.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Kotemon asked.

"Yeah, and it makes the most sense. But before we even try this, we need to train more so that I will be able to hold out long enough. Kotemon, can you help train me in Kendo?"

"Sure thing! This sounds like our best hope for ever escaping anyways!"

"Alright. Tentomon, you think you can do this?"

"Have I ever let you down?"

"Well, there was that one time you lost our lunch to MarineAngemon...who by the way, only went on a date with you for free food".

"You didn't need to bring that up" Tentomon sulked.

"Relax Tentomon, I was just kidding with you!" Kenji said with a smile. "Mostly..."

For the next few days, Kotemon helped Kenji practice at Kendo to perfect his skills and become better. It was the only way they would ever escape this place, and the only way to liberate all the Digimon trapped inside. And Kenji had one thing the other Digimon that challenged him didn't have. Great Analytical skills. Well, other then Kotemon that is.

"Alright, I am ready. Kotemon, are you ready?"

"Ready! Lets do this!" Kotemon said with zeal.

"You ready Tentomon?"

"Ready and waiting!"

The three of them gathered in the Dojo. "One challenger at a time! Those are the rules!"

"I will challenge you first!" Kenji said, putting on his kendo gear and facing his opponent.

"Very well then. Begin!"

Kenji and Musyamon then entered a battle that, at least for Kenji, was to the death. The issues mainly being that Musyamon had more strength, power, and stamina then him. But luckily, they had a plan. All Kenji had to do was hold out for as long as he could. The attacks kept up and up, but Kenji kept blocking and blocking, always staying on the defensive. That was when it happened. His right leg suddenly became harder to move. _So this is how he keeps making sure he will win..._

Kenji continued to keep up the defensive techniques, but it was starting to get harder and harder with his right leg being more difficult to move now. And then, it happened again. Kenji's left leg became harder to move as well. Still, help kept up the defense. "What? Feeling a bit tired?"

"No, just a big angry" Kenji told him.

"Maybe you should just give up, get this over with!"

"Never!" Kenji said, as he then saw his chance. Kenji made a manuever as he tried an attack that, while not forcing the weapon out of his hand, did cause his hand to twist in a way it shouldn't. However, in that moment, Musyamon took the opportunity to defeat Kenji.

"Any last words?"

"Yeah, now that this match is over, its my turn!" Tentomon yelled. _That is right Tentomon, just like we planned._

"Very well, I will just consume both of your datas at the same time!" Musyamon shouted, charging at them.

Tentomon had a very different fighting style. While Kenji was agile and defensive, Tentomon was slower, more guarded, but excelling at offense surprisingly. This forced Musyamon to adopt a different strategy, which threw him off but only be a little.

Tentomon rolled under Musyamon's legs, andn early got off a hit from behind, but Musyamon blocked it. The battle between Tentomon and Musyamon raged on, but clearly Tentomon was wearing him down. However, before he could finish the job, Musyamon defeated him. "And now..."

"its my turn!" Kotemon shouted, jumping in front of them. "Now you must defeat me, if you can!"

"Go for it Kotemon!"

"You can do it Kotemon!"

"You really think you can do this...after I defeated your two friends?"

"Yes! Its all or nothing!" Kotemon shouted. Kotemon and Musyamon then engaged in their kendo match, but there was a notable factor. Kotemon was only a rookie level, while Musyamon was CHampion level, yet Kotemon was beating him. He stammered back as Kotemon's relentless onslaught continued.

"How! How are you doing this!" Musyamon asked, gasping.

"Simple, I watched your battles with those two. Not only did they drag it out to tire you out, but I was able to analyze your battle style...and create the ultimate stratagy to defeat you!"

Suddenly, Kotemon moved as fast as lightning, and delivered the final winning blow to Musyamon. The blow was so powerful, his data became exposed, and that was when they saw it. HIs datastream was corrupted. Kenji took out his Digivice. "Datastream, Purify!"

He launched the purification disc, and purified the corrupted DigiCode, returning Musyamon to his former self. As they did that, the announcement system turned on. "Musyamon has been defeated! Musyamon: 1940! Opponents: 3!"

"Woo hoo!"

"Yeah!"

"We did it!"

They all high fived.

* * *

Kenjji, now wearing his regular clothes again, left the city with Tentomon and Kotemon. "So, what now?"

"We need to find our friends first" Tentomon reminded him.

Kotemon bowed to them. "You helped me escape, so it only makes sense that I help you find your friends!"

"Well, thank you Kotemon. We will need all the help we can get!"

"I do know this one guy, he knows all about the Digital World. Has a book on it, in fact!" Kotemon mentioned. "His name is Patamon! Come on, we better find him! He is also really good at hearing things, so he migth have heard about your friends too!"

"Alright then! Lead the way, Kotemon!"

_Alright! Kenji and Tentomon seem to be getting really good at team work, and the two of them made a new friend! Lets just hope this Patamon fellow has what they need! And who knows what trouble the others have gotten into. Find out next time on Digimon Rangers!_


	15. Chapter 15: Winds of Change

_Last time on Digimon Rangers, Kenji and Tentomon woke up inside a Dojo, where no one was allowed to leave unless they defeated the Champion Musyamon in kendo, and those who lose have their data absorbed and are destroyed. They befriend a Kotemon, and together train in order to defeat Musyamon using a plan Kenji thought up. During the fight, Kenji and Tentomon fell one after another, but they managed to give Kotemon the ability to observe Musyamon to know his strengths and weaknesses, as well as tiring him out, allowing Kotemon to defeat him, and freeing all the Digimon trapped inside. Now they just have to find their friends, and hopefully Kotemon's friend will be able to help!_

Sally and Hawkmon were most certainly lost now. Once again, they were in another forest. Only now, they were alone. "You know, how do we even know we are going the right way?"

"Because we could say that no matter which direction we go, and standing in the middle of a forest just waiting around seems like a horrible idea. So lets at least follow what appears to be a sorry excuse for a road" Sally told her.

Suddenly, they saw a bright light in front of them, that quickly engulfed all of them. For a moment, Sally and Hawkmon were completely blinded, but when the light faded, they were no longer in a forest, but standing on the side of a street. There were cars driving back and forth, and she could hear some children laughing in the background. Just a few feet away from her was a payphone that was acting strange.

"What the...where are we?!" Hawkmon asked in a panic.

"I think...we are back in my world!" Sally realized.

"How did that happen?"

"I don't know, but we have to find a way back! The others still need us!"

"Huh? I thought you all wanted to go home though?"

"Yeah, but we cant just leave them behind! They are our friends! They need us!"

Hawkmon smiled. "Right!"

A few of the streetlights started to flicker on and off as Sally and Hawkmon walked down the street. That was when they found something that was truly off. There were posters of missing children posted everywhere. All five of them had posters, but there were others as well. Everyone apparently having disappeared around the same time. There were twenty at least.

"I thought there were only five rangers?"

"Yeah, but look. A lot of these posters say they were last spotted the day after we arrived in the Digital World. I don't think that this was just because of us, or Ophanimon. There is something else involved as well..."

That was when the entire area shook, as if a giant earthquake was happening. However, this area was not known to have any earthquakes.

"What is going on?"

"I sense a Digimon!"

Suddenly, a Drimogemon drilled right through the ground under them. Sally and Hawkmon quickly dodged out of the way. At the same time, a Birdramon swooped down from the clouds overhead. Everyone started to shout and flee the area.

"There are Digimon in the human world!"

"Not just that Hawkmon, but there are innocent people in danger! We gotta take these guys down!"

"Then lets do this!"

====Hawkmon Digivolves to...Aquilamon!====

====Datastream Manipulation! Boom Cannons!====

The two of them began to fight off the Digimon, slowly but surely beating them. Drimogemon then dug underground again, but before Birdramon could escape Aquilamon blocked it and delviered a blow to bring it back down to where Sally could get a better shot off on it. Once she did that, they quickly absorbed Birdramon's datastreams before running off as they heard sirens.

Aquilamon de-digivolved and then they both ducked into an alley as various authorities came and started setting up strange equipment. "Who are these guys?"

"Police, I think. But that equipment looks strange. We should avoid them and get back to the Digital World".

"What about Drimogemon? We can't leave him here!"

"How did he get here in the first place?" Sally wondered.

Hawkmon started to pace back and forth. "Do you know where he might have gone?"

Before Sally could answer that question, her phone started to ring, which completely and utterly startled her. She checked it, and it was her parents.

"Oh no oh no oh no. They are going to be so mad that I have been gone for so long! What do I do?"

"Why are you asking me? I have no idea!"

"Ahhh! This is impossible! I mean, what would I say if I do answer it?"

"Hello?"

"Not helpful, Hawkmon".

Suddenly, Sally got a text, asking her to please come home.

"I guess they know" Hawkmon mentioned.

* * *

When they got home, there were a few more cars then Sally was expecting. And when she entered, it was more then just her parents.

The following conversation explained a lot more. It was the parents of the others, Max and Matt, Kenji, Blaze. They had a lot of questions, and she did not have all the answers they wanted. But she answered as best she could. She told them about what was going on. About what they encountered. And about the Digimon. She might have downplayed the danger a little, but she mentioned the importance...and about the Digimon leaking into the real world.

"So, no matter where they go then, no where is safe" Matthew's mother said, a bit saddened.

"To be honest, despite filled with obvious dangers, there are also good Digimon there. From what we can tell, the good Digimon don't come into this world as much unless they know they have to. Back in the Digital World, there are organizations of good Digimon dedicated to protecting the innocent, and have more resources and power there. As much as you might not want to hear it, even if everyone could return, it might be safer in the Digital World, where the good Digimon are there to help protect those in need" Hawkmon mentioned.

"And mom, dad, as much as I am sure you might want us to stay, our friends need us. We have to go back" Sally told them.

"But why! Why cant we send someone else?"

"Because as silly as it might sound, Sally is one of the chosen Digimon Rangers. Along with having a Digimon partner, she is one of the few with extra abilities that would help us bring peace. And the sooner we find our friends and bring about this peace, the sooner we all can return without being in any danger. And besides, I won't abandon my friends!"

Eventually, both of her parents accepted this. "Then, at least don't go immediately".

"But the sooner we get back the sooner we can find them and help!"

"I know, and we understand we cant stop you from going, but we are not asking you to wait long" Sally's father told her.

Matthew's and Max's father stepped forward now. "From what you have said, you don't have much supplies or equipment or stuff like that. Just let us give you some supplies to take. It might help you increase your chances".

Sally and Hawkmon nodded. It made sense, and they could tell this was no trick. "Alright then. You get supplies together, me and Hawkmon are going to get some good sleep. We will leave first light. You have till then to get the stuff together, okay?"

"Alright" they agreed.

* * *

When they got up that morning, the ground was shaking again. Sally put on some clean clothes, and made sure she had a backpack of her own with some spare sets of clothes in waterproof and fireproof bags. When she went downstairs, clearly all the other parents were thinking the same thing. But as she was collecting everything and thanking them, the ground shook again. Hawkmon lept towards the door. "Its Drimogemon! And he is not alone!"

They all ran outside, as three Drimogemon emerged out of the street in front of them. As they did, all of a sudden the streetlight next to them randomly turned on and went haywire. Some sort of strange light shined out of it and hit the Drimogemon, only it seemed like the light was made of total darkness.

====Drimogemon Digivolves to...Digmon!====

"They digivolved to Ultimate!" Hawkmon exclaimed. "We don't have the power to take on an Ultimate alone, let alone three!"

"But I do!" a familiar, female voice spoke through her Digivice. It was Ophanimon! She suddenly appeared in front of Sally. "I shall handle the Digmon! I am keeping that Digiport open! Hold your Digivice to the streetlight and activate it, I have redirected it to the closest spot I could to some of your friends! Go now, I shall return myself once I am done here!"

"Right! Thank you, Ophanimon!"

"You can thank me by saving both this world, and the Digital World!" she told them, as Sally and Hawkmon ran towards the Digiport. Right before they left, they turned back to face their parents.

"Don't worry, I will bring them all back safely" she told them, before she and Hawkmon went through the Digiport...and back to the Digital World.

_Woah! Talk about a detour! But at least Sally is bringing back supplies! Those could never hurt, after all! But will she be able to find them in time? Or will someone fall before then? I guess you will just have to keep watching (reading) Digimon: Rangers!_


	16. Chapter 16: Blazing Glory!

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers! Sally was sent home, only to find Digimon had started emerging in the real world! They managed to defeat one of them, but the other Digimon ran away and then the authorities came in. The two of them quickly got away, but were quickly contacted by their parents. They quickly found all of their parents having come together to find their kids, as they had all disappeared on the same day apparently and they figured out it must be connected. After explaining things, Sally managed to get a good night's sleep on her bed while the grown ups got supplies for her to bring back. Before she could go back though, a few Digimon appeared to try and take her out, but Ophanimon appeared and was able to cover her escape while she dealt with the now ultimate level Digimon. Is the way the wind is blowing finally about to change for our heroes? Guess we will find out!_

Blaze and Agumon continued to walk through the forest. They could just see some sort of settlement up ahead, they just had to reach it. When they did, they would hopefully find some word on what was going on and maybe even some clue as to where the others were.

However, as they continued walking, they could also hear sounds of fighting. This interested them even more, and they ran forward.

When they finally reached town, they could not help but notice a giant coliseum was in it. It seemed to be that everyone was there, because no one was in the town itself. "What do you think this is all about?"

"Maybe someone is putting on a circus act" Agumon mentioned.

"Well, that means food and people, so lets go check it out!" Blaze yelled, and the two of them ran forward.

As they entered the coliseum though, it was really clear something was wrong. All of the Digimon sitting in the stands were chained there, and in the middle, two Digimon were locked in battle. A Togemon, and a Guardromon. The Togemon used another attack on her enemy, and defeated Guardromon. Guardromon shouted out in pain, and was then dragged via chains back into the darkness of one of the pits, screaming as the bar doors closed shut after he was no longer seen. Clapping then emanated from the loudspeakers. "And our champion, Togemon, is victorious!"

"Alright, I won! Now, give me what I want!" Togemon shouted. Suddenly, one of the doors to the battle ground opened, and a bunch of Tanemon came in. Additionally, the shackles on Togemon fell to the ground.

"Congratulations, you won your friends back. Now, you can all die together!"

"No, you promised you would let us go if we won!" Togemon shouted. "I had to fight my friend!"

"I am letting you go! And I am making sure you will never suffer in this world ever again! This is a mercy!"

"We have to help them!" Agumon shouted.

Blaze nodded. "Agreed!"

"Oh look, we have some new challengers!" the voice said from over the loud speaker. "No matter, I shall deal with the both of you as well! We always could use more challengers!"

"The only challenge we are going to issue is a boot to your face! Its not right to force people to fight like this!"

"Oh yeah! Says who?"

"Says one of the Digimon Rangers!"

It was silent for a moment. But then, the voice spoke out again. "A Digimon Ranger huh? I have no desire to fight with you. So perhaps then we can make a deal?"

"What could you possibly have that we would want? YOu are just a parasite, you need others to get what you want!"

"Oh, but is that not your role as well? After all, without Agumon, how could you get what you want? And without you, how can Agumon digivolve? So you see, we are one in the same. As for what I have, how about information? On the location of some of your friends, how you could Digivolve further, and about one of the many enemies you will surely face, and the one behind several attacks on you already? And trust me, given what your friends are about to walk into, it is highly unlikely they will survive without help, or this knowledge..." he told them. "And for all of this, all you have to do is leave me be".

This gave Blaze and Agumon a moment of pause. That was everything they both needed and wanted right now. To find their friends, to learn how to get stronger, and to defeat the foe they face. But still, how could they just let him get away with this?

"Counter offer! You release all these people, and you no longer force any Digimon to suffer for your own pleasure, and then you tell us everything we know, and we do not destroy you!" Blaze yelled. Blaze hated things like this. Its why he learned how to fight. In school, he saw people get bullied every day, including his best friend, and no one stuck up for them. So he taught himself how to fight, and he started sticking up for them. He defended them from the bullying, and the abuse, and the taunts. Blaze does not fight because he enjoys it, he fights for what he believes is right. He fights so that no one can make people suffer like these Digimon are right now.

"Well then, I guess I have no choice...but to destroy you first!" he yelled. Suddenly, a Devidramon broke through the ceiling of an observation booth, and charged right towards them.

"Wow, I was expecting some sort of mechanical Digimon" Blaze mentioned. "Ready Agumon?"

"Ready!"

====Agumon Alt-Digivolve to...Agunimon!====

"You ever going to stop changing that line?" Blaze asked.

"When I feel like I get it right. Or Digivolve into Greymon instead" Agunimon mentioned.

"Chaos Slash!" Devidramon attacked.

"Pyro Darts!" Agunimon fired back.

The two attacks collided, resulting in a big explosion. Blaze and Agunimon jumped back, as Devidramon charged right into the spot they were in. "Alright, my turn!"

====Datastream Morph! Mega-Fists!====

The two of them attacked Devidramon together, knocking him back and down into the Arena. However, as they reached the edge, Devidramon already had a charged up attack he was about to launch at them. Before he could though, Togemon grabbed his neck from behind and then grabbed one of its wings, preventing it from getting away. "Quickly! Hit it with everything you have right now!"

They both lept down, and with gravity boosting their force, totaled Devidramon. His datastream was exposed, and it was clear he was infected with Dark Digicode. Blaze took out his Digivice, and launched the purification disc. The disc began to circle around Devidramon, binding him. "Digicode, purify!"

The Digicode was purified, and Devidramon turned back into Monodramon. "Uhg...what happened?"

* * *

"I did all of that? I don't have any memory of it" Monodramon told them as they explained everything that had happened. "The last thing I remember was being forcibly engulfed by black light".

"So, you don't know anything that Devidramon at least claimed to know about our friends?"

"No, sorry. Not a clue" Monodramon.

Togemon brought them some food. "At the very least, eat up and rest for awhile before you go and look for them then!"

"Sure! We we will need the energy, right Blaze?" Agumon shouted.

"Yeah!" Blaze agreed.

* * *

As the two set off again, bellies full of food, for a moment they thought they heard a strange noise. "Hey, Blaze, did the weather forecast say anything about instant storms?"

"I don't think...oh wait a second. You don't think..." Blaze started, but was then interrupted by the sound of two people screaming. Blaze and Agumon looked up, and each one of them quickly got hit by a falling Sally and Hawkmon. "OWWWW!"

"Hey Blaze! I found Sally and Hawkmon!" he mentioned.

"Yeah! I felt it!" Blaze shouted. At least they found two of them though.

_Well, at least some of the group is back together! But will they find their friends before something bad happens, or will they be too late? I guess you will have to keep watching (reading) Digimon: Rangers!_


	17. Chapter 17: The Dusttown Showdown!

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers, Blaze encountered a corrupt Digimon who was forcing Digimon to fight, but not letting a single one leave. He was offered a chance to walk away with enemy intel, but Blaze and Agumon refused, unable to let this continue. This resulted in a fight between them, which he and Agumon managed to win. However, when they purified the corrupted Digimon, he had no knowledge of what they wanted, or even a deal. Oh well, at least they found one friend when Sally and Hawkmon fell from the sky!_

"Gomamon?" Matthew asked, wearing just his white T shirt and boxers as they walked through the harsh desert. All the rest of their things were in the backpack. He sounded hot, tired, and in pain.

"Yes Matt?" Gomamon replied, also sounding exhausted.

"Why is there a blistering hot desert next to a swamp?"

"Because the Digital World hates us".

"I am practically naked and I am still burning up".

"At least you can be naked. I have fur!" Gomamon yelled.

The two of them kept walking on and on. THe sun only went higher into the sky, and not a single cloud or piece of shade was in sight. It was blistering hot, and the only reason Matt did not put his shoes on was because then he would just be more hot. He was having issues, and he had no solutions for them. Even for Kumamon, it was too hot to generate enough cold. He had tried.

So the two kept crossing the hot, unforgivable desert. They had no supplies, because of course, being the control freak that he is, Max decided to carry all of them, and then practically forced the biggest portions down Matt's throat. Matt told him they should all be rationing, but as usual, Maxwell did not listen. He had a habit of ignoring what Matthew was actually saying. So of course, to pass the time, Matt began speaking about all of this to Gomamon. And about how Max had this overwhelming sense of annoying over-protectiveness.

"Wait, aren't you the smart one though?" Gomamon asked.

"He refuses to admit this in public" Matt explained.

"Why? Everyone figured it out a long time ago" Gomamon mentioned.

"Well, he is stubborn. YOu gotta remember that".

The two of them kept talking for what seemed like hours. The sun still remained hot, and the sand they were walking on felt like it was making them go backwards. Almost like the swamp. "I am starting to think that one of the skills we do not have is a sense of direction".

"Agreed" Gomamon told him, but that is when they both saw it. The vague outlines of a town. They both ran towards it immediately. Where they got the energy for this, who knows. but they managed to make it to the edge of town before completely collapsing from the heat.

* * *

Matthew woke up underwater, with no clothes on, and with someone's hand on his head. He started to struggle, but the hand pulled his head up. "Hey, you okay?"

He blinked, surprised to see Gomamon, SuperStarmon, and Kosokutemon all standing next to him. He felt very weak, but also energized from the ice cold water. In fact, he was shivering. "W..what happened?"

"You nearly suffered a serious case of heat stroke. We had to cool your body down, fast" SuperStarmon told him.

"And I needed to finish the job I started" Kosokutemon said with a smile.

"Really!" Matt yelled, blushing.

"Well, its better then having a bunch of wet clothes right now, right? Besides, we need to lower your core temperature" SuperStarmon told him. "Also, welcome to Dusttown".

"Dus..Dusttown?" Matthew was still freezing. "How...how did you find us anyways, Kosokutemon?"

"You were lying in the middle of the desert...I had to track your footprints from the swamp".

Matt looked around. "I thought we collapsed right outside of town?"

"Mirage".

"Oh" Matt mentioned. "Well, anyone falls for those".

"Really, I thought only stupid people did?" Kosokutemon asked.

"No way!" both Matt and Gomamon yelled, standing up. Matt immediately sat back down in the water, embarrassed. "At least I won't have any more surprises..."

"Well, about that..." Kosokutemon mentioned. "Don't be alarmed, but you might have Digicode imprinted on your back".

"Wait what!" Matthew yelled, shocked. "How did it get there?!"

"YOu were unconscious for a really long time" the thief told them.

Matthew was not happy. "Please tell me its not permenant".

"Might be".

"My brother is going to be our bane for the rest of our lives if thats true. He is going to assume we got a tattoo" Matt mentioned as he noticed something.

"Wait, what do you mean by we?" Gomamon asked, trying to look at his back. "You don't mean?"

Kosokutemon nodded. "Yep".

"We are doomed!" Gomamon replied.

* * *

Once Matthew's tempature had gown down, they had given him and Gomamon some beds and sleeping caps, and Matthew some pajamas. This helped them sleep soundly through the night, or at the very least, made it so that they were warm and comfortable. However, Matthew was having a weird dream. He was standing inside some sort of crystal palace. In front of him, two Digimon were speaking to each other. Some Digimon that was pink and looked like a beast, and that Digimon from before, Ophanimon.

"They found a valid candidate Cherubimon?"

"Yes, they found an unborn child that would one day become a DigiDestined. And then, they infected him with the Digi-Virus" Cherubimon told her. "We found the child, but its too late now. The Digi-Virus has already taken root deep inside him. We can no longer stop their plan, but so long as we have control over the Digital Bridge, we should be able to stop their attempts to take him".

"Then keep it secure, Cherubimon. And do not let them take him at all. The fate of the Digital World depends on him not getting into their hands".

The two of them had very serious looks on their face, as they walked over to the table and pulled out some books. One of them was the book on the Digimon Rangers. "We could reform the Rangers, when the time is right".

"You believe this is the best solution?"

"I believe it will be the only solution. Our entire plan hinges on them enver gaining control of the Digital Bridge".

"They will do this eventually" Cherubimon agreed. "So we must prepare as well. Very well, Ophanimon. I will make the required preparations".

Matthew awoke to the sound of violence going on in the floor below him and Gomamon. It sounded like a group of Digimon had gotten into a wild west parlor fight. And Matthew was not quite sure if he should go downstairs or not. Then again, he couldn't sleep, and it could be interesting, so he and Gomamon started walking down the stairs. "What do you think is going on?"

"SOmething interesting".

The two stopped about halfway down the stairs, when they had a good view of what was going on, and took their seats on the stairs. A SuperStarmon, Deputymon, and a few Armadillomon were fighting what appeared to be a group of Dinohumons. The Armadillomon got thrown back behind the counter. "Now listen up! You are going to give us what we want, or we are going to wreck the place and hurt everyone you care about!"

"You can't push us around!" SuperStarmon yelled.

"Yeah! We wont let you!" Deputymon reinforced. One of the Dinohumons picked up a Poromon.

"Oh yeah? This little baby agree with your stance?"

That was when Matt hit the Dinohumon on the head with a bottle, causing him to let go of the Poromon and allowing it to escape, running right past them and hiding behind Mathtew's leg. "Human! You...you dare?!"

"Matthew, your still not fully recovered! What are you doing up?"

"All this noise down here makes it impossible to sleep" Matthew mentioned. That was when his nose got really irritated, like he just had to sneeze. One of the Dinohumons charged towards him, but as they did that he sneezed a really powerful sneeze, and turned into Kumamon at the same time, causing the sneeze to become a powerful and cold burst of snowy wind and knocking the Dinohumon outside.

THe other Dinohumons turned their focus towards Matt, he then started to get the sniffles again. This caused everyone to go running out, screaming various rude comments. Matt de-digivolved almost as quickly as he Digivolved, and then quickly grabbed a nearby table before he fell to the floor. "Its okay...I am fine".

"You need to recover more" SuperStarmon mentioned, picking him up.

"WHat if...they return? You need my help".

"How, one more won't make a difference if they bring their boss, Kyukimon, then we are done for I think" SuperStarmon mentioned.

"But you are an ultimate too, aren't you?" Matt asked.

"Not a strong enough one..."

Matt smiled. "What if we were to...tip the scales in your favor?"

SuperStarmon looked up. "What are you thinking exactly?"

"We don't just use brute force..."

* * *

The next day, the group of Dinohumons returned with their leader, Kyukimon. "Alright peasants! Turn over the gold and that boy for punishment, or face the consequences!"

The town did not answer them though.

"Alright, charge! Tear the place to shreds!"

The large group of them ran forward, only to find the ground shatter beneath their feet. Not just fall, but shatter, as if it had been made of ice.

"What is this!"

"This is your last warning!" Matt yelled from the rooftop. He had a pair of binoculars, and he was now wearing cowboy style clothing and both he and Gomamon had cowboy hats on. "Leave now and never return, or we will make you suffer!"

Kyukimon and a few Dinohumons crawled out of the hole. "Rip this guy to shreds!"

Suddenly, a few of those Dinohumons got blasted by Deputymon's Justice Barrage attack. "Not so fast!"

"What is that supposed to mean! I will still crush you!"

"Well, actually..." Deputymon mentioned, pointing to the mountain next to them. Rolling down the mountain at high speeds was a giant ball of ice. It smashed right into Kyukimon, but after a few yards, Kyukimon shattered it and jumped through, minorly hurt but still standing strong.

"That your best sho..." he mentioned, before another one hit him straight on, and then another, and then another. The repeated hits were causing him quite a bit of pain. Not to mention it was hillarious, because He eventually smashed them all, and lept towards Deputymon.

"I don't think so!" SuperStarmon yelled, jumping up above Kyukimon and hitting him with a direct blow while he was not even aware of him. Kyukimon got smashed into the ground, taking even more injury. Now it was Matthew's and Gomamon's turn.

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

Both Kumamon and Gomamon used their ice breath attack to freeze Kyukimon's body frozen solid. "Hit it SuperStarmon!"

SuperStarmon then began punching Kyukimon fast and heavy repeatedly for what seemed like a long period of time, until he was finally worn down enough. "This was your plan, would you do the honor?"

"Thank you" Matthew told him, delivering the final punch and absorbing the datastreams into his Digivice, which then healed Gomamon.

* * *

"SO partner, what is next for you?" SuperStarmon asked. "You know, once you finish recovering that is".

Matthew mumbled something about having already recovered. "Well, I need to find my friends and my brother. I don't suppose you know where they are?"

"Well given what you told me about how you got here, they are not here" SuperStarmon mentioned.

"Why, where are we?" Gomamon asked.

"Transfield".

Gomamon looked extremely shocked. "Transfield? The place will all the random terrains next to each other? The place where you have to go to every zone of it if you ever want to leave?"

"Yep".

"What does this mean Gomamon?"

"It means that if we want to find anyone, we have a lot of walking to do" Gomamon said, with a sigh. "What is the next zone anyways?"

"Well, you might be in luck there. Its the ocean zone" SuperStarmon mentioned, before handing him something. It was Golden Digicode. "Here, take this for your troubles".

"Woah, Golden Digicode. Thanks!"

"You are welcome. From what I can tell, you both will need it anyways" SuperStarmon told them.

_Woah, so Matthew and Gomamon landed in a weird place called Transfield? That doesn't sound good. Looks like they are trapped in a confined area...something I doubt was done by accident! Will they escape before the bad guys get them? I guess you will have to keep watching(Reading) Digimon: Rangers!_


	18. Chapter 18: Max's Day Off

_We interrupt this regularly scheduled recap to bring some very important news: For all of you loyal readers, if you are in need of any OCs to use in your own fanfics, I have put up on my profile an OC Catalog of sorts. Additionally, even if that might not interest you at least right now, I will also be putting up an Original Digimon that I created Catalog, or just Original Digimon Catalog, that will detail at least some of the more major or more frequently seen Digimon that I have created out of my imagination for my fanfics. Such Digimon include Spectremon, PhaseSpectremon, and Tantilimon from Digi-Guardians (also known as Digi-Guardians 01)._

_Just thought I would let you all know! :D_

It seemed like for every step Max and Guilmon took, it got colder and colder by at least ten degrees. Guilmon had to constantly keep making fires, because Max had no winter clothes. They had already almost had an encounter with ice. If Max's clothes got wet, then he would litterally be wearing a death sentence. And they had discovered that underneath some of the snow were small but deep pockets of thin ice over ice cold water. This only made Max even more tense then he already was, worrying about if Matt was okay. Even if he wasn't going to control each and every factor around him, which he was finally realizing to be insanely impossible and the attempt to do so was only making things worse, not to mention having been driving his brother further away.

"So, which is worse?" Guilmon started to ask. "Being naked in the snow and freezing cold, or being in wet clothes in the snow and freezing cold".

"I don't know, nor do I plan to find out" Max told him.

THe two continued to walking, the cold getting worse and worse despite Guilmon's best efforts. They needed to find shelter soon, or find a place to make a fire that wont set the whole forest on fire, though at this rate it might be an improvement.

However, as they kept walking, something strange started to happen. Things started to get...warmer. There was less and less snow on the ground, until there was finally no snow at all. That was when they finally reached a sign in front of a town. "Steam Town. Known for its Volcanic Hot Springs and a precise and accurate Trailmon station schedule".

That was when they heard the sounds of a trailmon departing. The two quickly ran for it, but as they left the station the Trailmon was already well and gone.

"Great! When is the next Trailmon coming?" Max asked, rather tense. He wanted to find his brother and the others as soon as possible, and as they could not detect even a trace Digivice signature of any kind for a few miles, let alone one of theirs, he knew they were nowhere around here.

"Next morning" A Clockmon told them. "At exactly Eight Fifty two AM tomorrow, to be precise".

Max's face practically screamed of annoyance and what might have been the exact opposite of shock. "Well, this explains why the sign said the Trailmon are always on time. A talking clock sets the schedule".

"Hey, there is no need to be sarcastic!"

"Sorry, just a little stressed is all" Max mentioned.

"Maybe we should stay the night at that Hot Springs Resort in town?" Guilmon asked. Max got a bit flustered a little, as well as tense.

"We can't waste time doing nothing Guilmon! We have to find the others!" Max told him, before then realizing the issue at hand. "...which we cant do since the next Trailmon wont be here till tomorrow. Sorry Guilmon, still trying to improve on being a better person. Anyways, we should ask around to see if anyone else came through here..."

Guilmon grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the Hot Springs Resort. "Pretty sure yelling at people won't get any answers. You are too stressed! Besides, the Hot Springs has nice..." The sound of that word in relation to water made him think happy thoughts. "...warm..." That word increased it exponentially. "...steamy..." Max was nearly drooling. "...baths". Max desperately needed one of those anyways. He was sure Matt was probably actively forgetting to take one. If forgetting was even the right adjective.

"Alright, fine. You sold me. We will go rest up there overnight" Max gave in, partly to Guilmon and partly to himself. He felt like he had to worry about Matthew, but Guilmon was right too. He was stressed out, and this hot springs would help with that.

* * *

"Are those the two our master wants us to eliminate?" Ninjamon asked.

"Yes" Kogamon agreed. "Let us wait for the right time though".

* * *

Max stepped into the hot springs, discarding his towel on the side where it would not get wet. Guilmon just went straight in, but being a Dragon type Digimon, was probably not affected much by the heat anyways. The waters felt both soothing, and relaxing. He could litterally feel the stress unwind from his body, and it felt really good. Plus, he had not had one in days. The Digital World was a lot like camping most of the time.

"Look Max! I can make bubbles with my nose!" Guilmon said, putting his nose into the water and then blowing to make bubbles. Max laughed.

"Alright Guilmon, just don't sneeze okay?"

"Okay!"

That had probably been the first time he had laughed in awhile. Now he really was realizing that not only had he been a control freak, but he had been way too stressed out as well. The waters were nice and soothing, and everything seemed perfect for the time. He really did need this. Sometimes, he had to remember. Being the brave leader meant having to be brave and trust the others would be fine without him while he was not there. Even Matthew.

Suddenly, the hot springs began to glow a golden color, as two Digimon entered. It was a Ninjamon, and a Kogamon. "We have been waiting for you! Our master sends his reguards!"

Guilmon jumped out to defend. "I wont let you harm my friend!"

"Oh, we had no intention of leaving you out either, interloper!"

"Pyro Blaster!" Guilmon shouted as he set them both on fire and back out the doors. "Now, wait your turn please. We are busy trying to rest".

"We will show you!" "No one talks to us that way!"

"Dragon Slash!"

However, the two of them launched a counter attack that knocked Guilmon back. "Guilmon!"

As Max quickly jumped out to help Guilmon up, his Digivice flew right into his hand, and both Ninjamon and Kogamon looked surprised. They looked even more surprised when Golden Digicode emerged from the bathwater and into the Digivice. Guilmon looked at it strangely. "Well that was strange".

"No matter! No one can stop us..."

That was when a loud stomp could be heard from behind Ninjamon and Kogamon. It was a Digitamamon. "What is going on here!?"

"Well, here we were, resting and relaxing, and all of a sudden these two come in making a ruckus and trying to pick a fight" Max mentioned. "And here we were, enjoying a nice bath and thinking of giving good reviews too".

"Reviews?" Digitamamon said with half excitement, half fear.

"Well, you see, I am the leader of the new and reformed Digimon Rangers. A lot of people highly value my word...and I especially enjoy uninterrupted rests".

BOth Ninjamon and Kogamon started sweating like crazy as Digitamamon glared at the both of them. "Well, we can't have that, now can we..."

* * *

"I thought you were the Ranger of Bravery, not cunning" Guilmon mentioned as and Maxwell entered their room wearing really nice, comfortable robes.

"You forget, I am an older brother. Its my job to blame things on others, mainly Matthew when possible" Maxwell said with a smile. "This didn't take any cunning at all, just years of experience".

"So whats next then?"

"We rest here, take a nice long nap in our room, and get a ride on a Trailmon tomorrow fully rested and ready to take on a new day".

"You think those two are still in trouble with Digitamamon?"

"Probably. But right now, lets not worry. Lets just rest, relax, and rest some more" Maxwell mentioned.

"I like non-stressed Max the best" Guilmon said as they both hit the beds. "This version of you is nicer, and less yelling".

They both laughed at that, until they both finally got to sleep.

_Well that is what I call a hot springs adventure! Will they finally start to find some of the others? Will this new Max hold? I guess you will just have to keep watching/reading Digimon: Rangers!_


	19. Chapter 19: The Tail of Gatomon!

_We interupt this important chapter to bring another important news announcement. Unless I did not put this announcement in this Fanfic yet. In which case, its the first one. I have created a Catalog for all my OCs and my OC Digimon that I create. Please feel free to use anything from it, I only ask that you give me credit if you do!_

"How much farther is this place Kotemon?" Kenji asked.

"We should be a day or two away".

Tentomon wiped some sweat off his head. "Why is it so hot?"

"Probably because we are in the blazing forest".

"What! I am pretty sure that place isn't real! Don't the trees burn you when you touch them?"

Kenji immediately started to inch away from all the trees.

"Yes, technically if you touch them they set you on fire".

Kenji now stayed as far away as physically possible from the trees. With Tentomon riding on his head.

"What kind of Digimon would live here?"

"Well, I hear three different groups of Agumon live here".

As they continued walking, eventually they saw a village ahead of them. "Finally, somewhere to get some food!"

Tentomon coughed. "We are broke, you know. Gomamon had all the money".

"Oh yeah, right..." Kenji realized.

As they entered the village, it was filled with Agumon, only they were all black. "What the..."

"They are all a different color" Tentomon mentioned. That was when they noticed the Gatomon locked in one of those wooden trap things that had holes for the head and hands.

"What is up with her?" Kotemon asked.

"Be careful of that one" one of the elder Black Agumon's with a beard told them. "That is the famous thief, Gatomon. She was hired by a rival Agumon clan to steal our Destiny Stone, but we caught her before she could succeed, and we trapped her. She claims she was forced to do it, but we do not believe her".

"Its not yours to have!"

"It belongs to us! It has for generations!"

"Because you claimed it, but others need it! Without the Destiny Stone in the propper place, the Digital World will fall to darkness!"

"ANd what is so wrong with darkness!" One of them yelled.

"Not that kind of darkness! Evil darkness! YOu know, end of the world type stuff?"

"Yeah yeah, suuuuure" the Agumon repled. "All excuses I am sure".

"Well, maybe we should hear this story out, then judge it" Kenji mentioned. "by order of the Digimon Rangers, I request you tell this story truthfully so you may face judgement. Just remember, tell a single lie and your whole story becomes invalid".

"Alright then, fine. It all started..."

* * *

Gatomon was wearing her PI Trench Coat, classic PI hat, and had her feet up on the desk while reading the morning paper...

* * *

"HOld on a second" Kenji interrupted. "Are you telling me you dress like 1920s PI? Really?"

"Hey, this is the Digital World. Are you saying that is stranger then anything else?"

"I concede the point. Carry on".

* * *

Gatomon took a sip of her coffee, when her assistant, Palmon, came in. "Excuse me, Miss Gatomon? A man claiming to be a client is here to speak with you".

"Alright, let him in".

"Hello Gatomon" Allomon told her. "I have an important assignment from a higher power for you".

"Which higher power is that?"

"Ophanimon herself" Allomon told her.. This caused Gatomon to stop everything she was doing, and pay full attention.

"What does Madam Ophanimon request, exactly?"

"She has discovered a crucial piece of intel needed to locate a powerful relic exists in the Hub's Library. You are to locate this artifact, and retrieve it for later use against the forces of darkness".

"Very well then" Gatomon told Allomon. "What is this object I am looking for?"

"SOmething called a 'Destiny Stone'".

"Alright then, it will be done" Gatomon said, throwing off her trench coat and PI hat to reveal she was wearing an Indiana Jones outfit underneath".

* * *

"Hold on, hold on. How many outfits do you wear in this story?"

"Just a few" Gatomon told him. "Anyways..."

* * *

It was late at night, but Gatomon had found a secret way into the Forbidden Library at The Hub. It was kind of simple. The library windows on the roof were never locked. So, Gatomon entered the window, and started making her way into the Section of Forbidden Knowledge and Unlawful Thought. And then...

* * *

"Why are we listening to this again?" one of the BlackAgumon interrupted.

"Shush!" Kenji told him. "WE are just getting to the good part".

"Seems like a waste of time..."

"Quiet!" _Just a bit longer..._

* * *

And then, Gatomon jumped down to the top of the bookshelves, and ran along the edges. However, as she got close to the section, that was when things got troublesome.

"Well well well" Shurimon said. "What do we have here? A trespasser? You should stay away from places you do not belong!"

"Silence Shurimon, I only seek knowledge to the location of the Destiny Stone. THen I will leave".

"Oh, you silly Gatomon. I am afraid you are never leaving at all!" Shurimon announced. "Double Stars!"

"Heaven's Knuckle!" Gatomon replied with a fist. She dodged both attacks, and punched Shurimon straight in the face, knocking him off the bookshelves and into the ground. Gatomon then quickly jumped into her aisle of choice, and began looking for any clue as to where the Destiny Stone is located. When she did find it though, Shurimon returned.

"YOu think I would go down so easily?!"

"I think you have a loud mouth for a Ninja Digimon" Gatomon commented. "Holy slash!"

Gatomon immediately ran for the exit after landing the blow, smashing right through the doors and running as fast as she could. Now that she had the location of the Destiny Stone, she could retrieve it for Ophanimon. Of course, it would take a few days to get there, but that was besides the point.

First though, she would need to lose Shurimon, who she knew was still behind her.

* * *

"How do we even know any of this is real?" the elder Black Agumon said. "Maybe you were just trying to steal our Sacred Stone to sell on some black market".

"What...there are a lot of things easier to steal then the Destiny Stone, and far less out of the way".

"Hold on, what about the..."

That was when another Black Agumon came over, shouting. "The Destiny Stone is missing!"

"What!?"

Tentomon landed on Kenji's head again. "Well don't look at us, we were all here, listening to the story".

"And I guess I have no time to waste then" Gatomon mentioned, breaking free of her restraints. "I got a Destiny Stone to claim! They probably ran into the forest!"

Kenji, Tentomon, and Kotemon all ran after her. The other Black Agumon went searching all throughout the forest, but the four of them didn't. Once they were far enough away, they stopped.

"So, you get it Tentomon?"

"Got it! Great plan, using the story as a distraction!"

"You know, they will eventually figure it out" Kotemon added.

"That is why we will leave some traps for..." Gatomon started, but then the Destiny Stone started to glow. At the same time, a number of Black Agumons came out of the forest.

"I knew it! Our Dark Lord will be pleased though we caught a Digimon Ranger too!"

Suddenly, this Golden Digicode emerged from the Destiny Stone and engulfed Gatomon.

====Gatomon Digivolves to...Angewomon!====

"Celestial Arrow!" she fired.

"Oh yeah?" the Black Agumons shouted. "Its our turn!"

Suddenly, a portal opened over them, and some sort of light made of pure darkness came down and hit them.

====BlackAgumons Digivolve to...BlackGreymons!====

They were now facing six BlackGreymons. Kenji knew pure strength alone did not matter, especially if more showed up. Which meant, he needed to get them to fight each other, or use the terrain. Then he got an idea. "HOld on guys. I do hope you realize that one of your own is going to be here any minute to help us, unless he is here already".

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we were all listening to the story, and Gatomon was restrained. So none of us could have stolen it..." _Because no one noticed Tentomon fly straight up, get the Destiny Stone, and land back on my head..._ "...which means one of you did".

This resulted in them starting to argue and accuse each other, which then eventually led to them fighting and hitting each other. Angewomon looked over to him. "How did you know that would work?"

"I have three older brothers and an older sister. Its a defense mechanism. If I didn't know how to shift blame onto others, I would get blamed for everything back home".

"Like your snoring?"

"Shut up Tentomon! I do not snore! YOu snore!"

"lets just get out of here before they finally figure out what we did" Kotemon suggested. The group heeded his advice, and ran away as fast as possible.

Once they were far enough away, the Golden Digicode left Angewomon which resulted in her turning back into Gatomon, and entered Kenji's Digivice. "That was a great plan by the way Kenji, but when did you tell the others about it?"

"We knew as soon as he asked for the story what the plan was. It was really brilliant, and the only reason he would ask about the story. Additionally, we all know your a Holy Beast Digimon, and therefore cant be evil. Its not in your nature".

"Well okay then. Where are we headed anyways? Might as well travel in a group for now".

"We are going to the nearby city to talk to my friend, Patamon".

"Well okay then" Gatomon replied. "Lead the way".

_Talk about some quick thinking! And wow, Kenji must have a lot of sibling rivalries then. BUt what is in store next time? I guess you will just have to keep watching/reading Digimon: Rangers!_


	20. Chapter 20: The Enemy Revealed!

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers, Kenji, Tentomon, and Kotemon came across a village of Agumon's, who was holding a supposed thief named Gatomon. Kenji got Gatomon to tell her own story, which revealed her to be part 1920s detective and part Indiana Jones, as a distraction while Tentomon aquired the Destiny Stone after learning Gatomon worked for Ophanimon. The group managed to escape with Gatomon, but the Black Agumon caught up to them and attacked. Luckily, Gatomon using the power of the Destiny Stone, which was filled with Golden Datastream, Digivolved to Angewomon to help keep them at bay and allowed them to escape! Looks like Kenji is building a small army!_

"Its been over a week, and we still have not found anyone" Blaze mentioned. "Exactly, when are we going to find them? We have not even picked up a Digivice signature".

"We don't even know how big the Digital World is" Sally added. "For all we know, we were flung to opposite corners of the Digital World. The only reason I even found you was because I took a detour in the real world".

The group had been traveling for some time now, but the only thing they really learned was that they were currently in a place known as The Forest of Shrouds, apparently because there were so many large trees that provided a lot of shade and cover.

"And thank you, for bringing supplies. They will be very helpful" Agumon added.

That was when they heard some sort of dark, draconic roar overhead. The group quickly hid in some nearby bushes, and watched as a Megadramon flew overhead towards a location.

Hawkmon flew up to a branch. "That was Megadramon! He is an evil virus dragon type Digimon who likes to destroy things. That said, no Megadramon are known to exist in this part of the Digital World".

"What do you think he is doing?" Agumon asked.

Sally had her ideas. "Dark digimon have been acting us since day one. It might be going to attack someone else, or back to their home base. Either way, we should follow it".

"Agreed, we cant let it hurt any more people! Right Agumon?"

"Right!"

The group decided to run after it, hoping it would not spot them, though given it was facing away from them and they were on the ground with a lot of tree coverage around, they figured it was unlikely it would. It was flying and really fast, but luckily it was not traveling that far. Because once they reached a valley, they found something they did not quite expect. A Black Citadel, just sitting down there. Megadramon flew inside it using a roof entrance.

"You think this is the enemy's base?" Blaze asked.

Sally nodded. "Yeah. You know what this means?"

"We run away?" Hawkmon suggested.

"No, we infiltrate it, and learn everything we can about the enemy" Sally told them. "They are after us, or at the very least, Matthew. Maybe for his ability, maybe for something else...but we cant just pass by an opportunity to learn more about the enemy, and maybe even find a way to slow them down. Or are you saying you would rather run away from a fight?"

"No way we never run away!" Blaze yelled.

"Alright then, lets get into this base and find out everything we can then" Sally told him.

The trip down was not horribly difficult, but it was not easy either. They found a narrow path that led down into the valley and towards the Black Citadel. It appeared to be unguarded, but maybe that was because they never expected anyone to find it. Either way, the group soon made it to the doors of the Black Citadel, only to find not only was it unguarded, but the doors were not even locked.

"Budget cuts?" Agumon asked.

Hawkmon shrugged. "Maybe".

The group continued into the base. It was unnecessarily creepy, with creepy paintings even being on the walls. There was also a bunch of wires and tubes and what not running everywhere. It was eerilie silent, but then they soon heard two people talking. The group silently crept towards a door, and peered around it. It was Megadramon, who was with another Digimon the group did not recognize. It almost looked like an Angel wearing heavy armor, but it was all black and corrupted. Sally scanned it, and discovered it was FallenSeraphimon.

"What do you mean, you still cant find him! Ophanimon couldn't have hidden him that well! She only had control of the portals for a few seconds!"

"Wherever she sent the boy, it was in a place not easily accessible. We still cant find him".

"We need him! That boy contains the Datastream in him that will allow us to collect all of the Datastreams we need! We cannot move to the next phase of our plans without what we grew inside of him! Are you sure you checked everywhere?"

"We are double checking all sectors now. Very few stones have been unturned. For example, we have not looked for him inside this base".

"Well, I would know if he was here. But why have you not checked those places?"

"One of them is Celestial City, which we cant get near, and all of Transfield is locked to us currently. Even if we could get in there, he might escape before we found him and then we would be stuck in there for weeks probably before we got out" the Digimon replied.

FallenSeraphimon sounded angry. "There is no way she could send him to Celestial City, even if she took control of our dark portals, which means he must be in Transfield then. The issue is, he could leave Transfield at any number of locations across the Digital World. It would be impossible to deploy forces everywhere without leaving us vulnerable to an attack by Ophanimon's forces. No matter, I do have some agents there...I will see if they can hold him there for us, while we work on breaking the barrier into Transfield".

"And what are my orders, My Lord?"

He then looked over to where Sally and Blaze were. "Destroy the intruders you neglected to notice. I have business to take care of".

FallenSeraphimon seemed to teleport away, and Megadramon looked towards them. "Raging Flame!"

The four of them quickly ran in the other direction, with Megadramon in pursuit. He flew past them and blocked their escape, causing them to duck into a side room and seal the door.

Inside the room were various equipment and pedastals with all sorts of things on them. A few of them looked interesting, and they decided to investigate. As soon as they got close, both their Digivices began to go crazy, so they took them out. As soon as they did, two golden orbs seemed to turn into Golden Datastream, and went into their Digivices. Additionally, something else, that looked like it was some sort of Statuette on a base, started to glow, and flew into Sally's Digivice. "What the..."

Before anything else, Megadramon burst into the room. "Agumon!" "Hawkmon!" "Digivolve!"

====Agumon Digivolves to...Agumon? Just thought I would try. Agumon Spirit Digivolves to...Agunimon!====

====Hawkmon Digivolves to...Aquilamon!====

"Pyro Darts!" "Razor Wind!"

Both attacks seemed ineffective against Megadramon, doing barely any damage.

"Its time...for your destruction!"

"No!" Sally yelled defiantly, giving Megadramon pause. It honestly did not expect someone so hopelessly outmatched to defy him. "You can try all you want, but I wont lose! I cant, because if I do, you will just go after my friends, and I cant let that happen!"

"Well I won't give you a cho..." Megadramon retorted, but then Blaze stepped forward and interrupted him.

"All you do is beat up on innocent Digimon, and corrupt those to commit even more crimes! And its about time someone put you in your place!"

"Well neither of you can do anything to stop me!" Megadramon yelled. It sent an attack towards the group, but Agunimon blocked the attack, taking the full hit and forcing him to de-digivolve back into Agumon. "Bah, stupid thing got in the way".

"He is not a thing! He is my friend!" Blaze yelled, when suddenly his Digivice started going crazy again. He took it out, and it seemed to be reacting to something inside Agumon. Golden Datastream flew out of his Digivice, entering his throat and then taking something out...Agunimon's spirit!

"Agumon, did you eat this?"

"I don't remember eating it, but when Mercurymon sent me through the mirror, I thought I felt something get lodged in my throat. It must have been Agunimon's spirit! Mercurymon had it hidden inside him, and while I was in the mirror I must have taken it from him!"

Suddenly, the golden Datastream healed Agumon of all the wounds Megadramon gave him, and the spirit entered Blaze's Digivice. It then started to swirl around his Digivice, and Sally's Golden Datastream started to swirl around hers too. It shined so brightly, Megadramon was forced backwards a little. "What is this!?"

"Its...some sort of power...do you feel it Aquilamon?"

"I do...it feelsl ike its pushing me past my limits..."

"It feels enriching, and wonderful!" Agumon mentioned as he stood up. Suddenly, Agumon digivolved into Greymon. "Well, its about damn time!"

"Are you thinking what I am thinking...or, at least hearing in my head?" Sally asked.

"I think saying both is the right answer here. Ready?"

"Ready!"

They both shouted in unison. "Execute! Golden Digivolution!"

====Aquilamon Golden Digivolve to...Silphymon!====

====Greymon Golden Digivolve to...MetalGreymon!====

"And now!" they both shouted, as a single Datastream appeared around their hands. "Execute! Digi-Spirit Evolution!"

====Sally Digi-Spirit Evolves to...Kazemon!====

====Blaze Digi-Spirit Evolves to...Agunimon!====

"Oh, so that is how I looked...actually, Agunimon doesn't look half bad" MetalGreymon commented. "Now, lets finish off this overgrown dragon and get out of here before his boss returns. Dragan Barrage!"

"Tornado Twister!"

"Sonic Kick!"

"Pyro Darts!"

The combined attacks quickly took down Megadramon, but before they could relish in their victory, the group started to run away. However, MetalGreymon stopped for a moment. "Dragon Barrage!"

The attack was launched straight into the command center, doing untold damange, before they started to run again. Silphymon looked at him questioningly. "Why did you stop to do that?!"

"We did come here to sabotage some stuff too, right?" MetalGreymon mentioned.

Sally smiled. "Well, I guess now we completed all the parts of our mission. We could spend weeks looking for the others, but now we know where Matthew is. All we gotta do is find Transfield, meet up with him, and then we can look for the others. Max will probably come to us, knowing him".

"And Kenji probably made a plan to find us as well" Blaze added.

"Alright then! At least now we can stop randomly searching with no clue then! Its time for the Digimon Rangers to regroup!" Sally shouted.

_Woah? Agumon ate THAT?! I guess he really can eat anything. No matter, looks like everything is back to normal...sort of, and now they are not as lost as they used to be. But why is Transfield locked? At least now we know who sent Matthew there, as well as why. But will they make it in time? I guess you will just have to keep watching (Reading) Digimon: Rangers!_


	21. Chapter 21: Matthew's Ocean Adventure!

_Last time on Digimon: Rangers, they discovered Agumon was a bottomless pit, who had eaten Agunimon's spirit, and they discovered the enemy's base and their plan. They also found two more pieces of GOlden Digicode as well as the Wind Spirit, and used them to heal Agumon and Hawkmon and digivolve them to the Ultimate Level. They escaped, but not before wrecking a good part of the base in the progress!_

Matthew was somewhat confused about what happened. One moment, they were walking through the desert, but then they stepped through this portal, and now they were on the beach, overlooking an ocean with many, many islands. Additionally, the cowboy outfit Matthew had been wearing turned into new clothes entirely. He was now in a white T shirt, blue swim trunks, and sandals.

"Must be a side affect of Transfield. A useful one though" Matt theorized.

"Hey look, over there!" Gomamon told him, pointing towards a small, seaside town down the coast. "They might have food!"

"Then lets go get some!"

The two of them raced down the beach towards the town, unaware they were being watched. Ranamon appeared out of the water. "Well well, the others might not have access to Transfield yet, but I can access all the oceans. Looks like I might be able to get them nice and quick. Then I will be his favorite! Oh goody goody! Now all I gotta do is wait for them to be at their most vulnerable..."

* * *

As the two of them arrived, the town was completely deserted. As Matthew was walking forward, he noticed Gomamon was keeping some distance. "What is it Gomamon?"

"Well, you kinda smell. We just walked through a desert for a week without a shower, after all".

"Well, your smelly too!" Matthew said in response, causing them both to laugh. "Alright, fine. They have to have some showers around here somewhere. The town is empty anyways".

Eventually, they found some bamboo shower stalls. Matthew took off his clothes outside so they would not get wet, then stepped inside and closed the door. He turned on the water, and it was nice and warm. It also got all the sand off of him which had collected on him in the desert. Too bad Transfield could not remove the sand either. "I wonder why they had a portal between desert and ocean but not swamp and desert?"

"Maybe they did. YOu have to remember, we were starving and tired when we entered desert" Gomamon replied.

"Yeah maybe" Matt mentioned.

Suddenly, two huge water bubbles appeared out of the showers and trapped both Matthew and Gomamon, floating them upward.

"Well well, a mighty fine catch indeed" Ranamon mentioned, winking.

Matthew hatched a plan almost immediately. "Wow, you are weird".

This clearly ticked Ranamon off. "What do you mean I am weird!"

"You just winked at a naked nine year old boy! Weirdo!"

"Its my thing I am not weird!" Ranamon yelled, losing focus and releasing both Matthew and Gomamon. "Oh, you tricky little..."

====Datastream Fusion! Matthew Augment Digivolve to...Kumamon!====

====Gomamon Digivolves to...Ikkakumon!====

"Frozen Tundra!" Kumamon yelled, launching itself as a giant ice spike towards Ranamon.

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon fired.

Both attacks hit Ranamon heads on, knocking her back. "Oh yeah? Well let me show you my hospitality!"

====Ranamon Slide Digivolves to...Calmaramon!====

Calmaramon launched its tentacles at them to grab them, but the two of them managed to dodge them. Kumamon and Ikkakumon used their ice attacks to freeze as many as they could, but Calmaramon was clearly more powerful. It was practically hopeless, until, of all things, a Whamon launched out of the ocean and ate Calmaramon! The resulting splashdown created a wave so strong it hit, well, everything.

When Matthew and Gomamon woke up, everything was scattered. "Great, we lost all our stuff!"

"Including your clothes! I have an idea though! We could make one of those Hawaii grass skirts or something!"

Matthew immediately turned into Kumamon. "Not doing that again".

He went off, but immediately tripped and fell to the ground. When he got up, his bathing suit was on his head. "Found them".

* * *

Now that Matthew had re-showered off, because that wave covered him in sand again, he and Gomamon were checking out everything in town. Luckily, despite seemingly being made of wood, all the buildings and structures survived the assault. Which is how they found it.

"Its a surfboard...with a sail on it".

"We can ride it across the ocean and get to the next zone!"

"Good thinking Gomamon. But between Whamon or Ranamon out there, we need something extra to defeat them".

"Maybe we can use that Golden Digicode".

"Maybe" Matthew agreed. "Also, since when did Digimon eat other Digimon?"

"Did you see Calmaramon? She looked so ugly he probably mistook her for some ugly sea food or something".

Matthew laughed. "Yeah, probably".

* * *

Deep down, Calmaramon knew someone was bad mouthing her appearance. And she was not happy.

She and Whamon had an interesting and painful discussion regarding what is and is not seafood. Now, she had to get back to that boy, capture him and his little Digimon too, and present them to Lord FallenSeraphimon. Then she would be granted great power.

She began to make her way back, when she thought of an even better idea. She went to the base of the island, with the intention to sink it, when she encountered a giant iceberg. "Now what in all manner of things is this doing here? Oh well, I think this will make it easier".

She then started to break the ice to sink the island.

* * *

Suddenly, the whole island started to shake. The water levels were rising. "Uh oh! Looks like we are leaving early!"

Matthew and Gomamon hopped on the Sailboard, as they were calling it, and launched themselves forward. The wind did its job almost instnatly, and they were heading across the ocean. However, before they got any further, Calmaramon appeared. "Welcome to my domain!"

She launched a giant wave, sending Matthew and Gomamon right into the ocean. Matthew felt the pressure of the water, the oxygen leaving. He was in pain all over. And then...he saw a spark.

* * *

"Alright, time to grab the brat before he drowns" Calmaramon mentioned, already holding Gomamon in a tentacle. "Shall we, my...wait what?"

Suddenly, a large section of the ocean froze completely, and then Kumamon broke out of it, and landed on the ice. "What the...you should be unconscious by now!"

Kumamon took out his Digivice, and then he held out something else. Calmaramon immediately recognized it as the Beast Spirit of Ice.

And to make things worse, Golden Digicode shot out of the Digivice and hit Gomamon.

====Gomamon Rapid Digivolve to...Zudomon!====

====Kumamon Slide Digivolve to...Korikakumon!====

"Oh dear, it appears I am out numbered again" Calmaramon mentioned. "I think its time for me to depart".

"I don't think so! Avalanche Axes!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!"

The two attacks hit her dead on, sending her spiraling back into the ocean. "Well, to be fair, we can't even be sure that was a lady".

"Good point Zudomon. Way too ugly".

Somehow, Matthew had this strange feeling Calmaramon was screaming at them. Matthew and Zudomon de-digivolved and got back on, and made their way towards the Sailboard. Once they got on, they continued their path across the ocean. And towards the next zone.

* * *

It had been a day's worth of travel, so Matthew and Gomamon decided to rest on a nearby island. They laid on the beach, watching the night sky. He was thinking of all the things they had gone through. Most people would be skeptical it even happened. Others would be shocked at what a nine year old had done. And others...well, they would praise him. But in all this time, there was one person over all others he could not have been without. "Gomamon...I just thought you should know, I couldn't do this without you".

"Thanks Matt, I couldn't do this without you either".

"Yeah, you and me. We are a team. And I don't care what happens, nothing is ever going to keep us apart. Right?"

"Right!"

The two eventually fell asleep on the beach, staring at the stars. When they woke up, the sun was just raising, so they sat there on the beach for awhile, watching the sun rise. It was really beautiful. However, once that was done, a bigger issue presented itself. "Gomamon, we need food".

"You start the fire, I catch the fish?"

"One issue, I can't start fires, because I have nothing to start them with. So, we need to go and collect some fruit".

The two of them resolved to find as much fruit as they could. It took awhile, but eventually they found a fruit tree they could use. Well, sort of. "Gomamon, am I imagining things?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is this tree...growing chocolate bars?"

"What, you don't have those in the human world?"

"No, but I want them in the human world" Matthew said, picking some chocolate bars and giving a few to Gomamon before they started eating. "You know, chocolate is actually one of the best foods for survival. At least, that is what I remember learning. I think its because it has the right amount of nutrients or something".

"Well, it sure tastes good!" Gomamon replied.

Once they were done eating, the two of them hit the ocean once more. Gomamon sat at the front, while Matthew hung off the side holding onto the handle that helped him control the sail. As they did, a group of Dolphmon swam up besides them, and stayed with them as they sailed on further, all of them heading towards the some direction. And then, they started to sing. So Matthew and Gomamon sang with them.

* * *

Calmaramon watched them from a distance. "Oh lookie there, those two are having so much fun...well, I will show them! I will show them all! I will show them that I am pretty, not ugly!"

Suddenly, a Whamon jumped out of the ocean again and ate Calmaramon. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

* * *

Matthew and Gomamon eventually had to stop at another island, to eat and rest. Using a sailboard was a lot tougher then he thought, though maybe it was just all the standing. Still, they ate some more of that chocolate they had brought with them, and looked at the clouds in the sky. "Well, I guess its time we..."

That was when they both saw a MarineAngemon leave the forest of the island, and head towards the ocean. Matthew looked back to Gomamon to make a comment, but Gomamon was already gone. He looked back, and somehow he had gotten roses, and was trying to woo MarineAngemon. "...I also know how to juggle..."

"Oh dear" Matthew said, shaking his head.

MarineAngemon started to leave. "Sorry, I am late for a party!"

That was when Calmaramon jumped out of the ocean. "Did someone say party?!"

"Tidal Wave!" MarineAngemon shouted, sending Calmaramon far far away. "That was my goodbye present, now bye!"

"Marry me!" Gomamon yelled.

Matthew picked up Gomamon, and headed towards the Sailboard. "Come on Gomamon, its time to get out of here".

_Wow! Will Calmaramon ever get a break? Will the Digimon Rangers ever re-unite? Will Matthew ever stop getting into trouble? I guess to find out you will have to keep watching/reading Digimon: Rangers!_


	22. Chapter 22: Trail to Destruction!

_Summery of previous chapter suspended until deemed neccessary. Reason: Not sure what to write, and you should be reading those anyways._

Max and Guilmon woke up as the sun peaked through the windows. It was a nice warm light, which helped since the Trailmon was being a bit bumpy. But Max had no intention of complaining to the actual vehicle carrying them. They both yawned. "Guilmon, you awake?"

"Uh huh" Guilmon said sleepily. They had fallen asleep sitting back to back. "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet Guilmon" Max told him. "But hopefully we will get there soon".

"Just one or two more towns, and we should get there!" The Trailmon told him. "So, thats like, another day or two. Maybe three, but only if the main tracks are damaged".

Max looked at his Digivice. _I know I shouldn't worry so much, but its been over a week since we last saw him. Gomamon can help protect him, sure, but what if they get overwhelmed? And not only him, but I have not gotten a single signal from any of the others as well..._

Suddenly, the Trailmon shook more then ever before. "What the...what was that?!"

"I am being attacked! Its Grumblemon!" the Trailmon mentioned, as it started going even faster. They looked back away from the cliff side and towards the mountain side, where Grumblemon was dropping large amounts of rocks on them from. "We gotta go faster!"

Maxwell and Guilmon held on as tight as they could, trying not to fall down or hit anything. However, the force of the rocks made it really difficult. As they were about to go outside to deal with him, the Trailmon then entered a tunnel and the attacks stopped.

"What was his problem?" Max wondered.

"Who knows? I just don't want to stick around and find out" Trailmon replied. That was when Max's digivice started to glow, and all of a sudden he was standing in some dark void of space. Someone else's voice spoke in his head. _"He was trying to slow you down, at the very least"._

_What the. Who is this inside my head? Ophanimon?_

_"No, I am allied with her though. My name is Cherubimon. Don't you rememb..."_

_Wait! I recognize your voice! You are the one who spoke to me after Matthew got taken to the Digital World! You took him here!_

_"No. I took YOU here. And Ophanimon helped bring the others. I was also the one that gave you and all the others your partner Digimon, and I helped re-direct the Digital Bridge and Digiports to keep your brother out of their hands and let you get close enough to help him..."_

_Wait, so you took control of the...?_

_"The Digiports at the castle? No, Ophanimon took control of those, and not even fully and only for a few seconds"._

_Well, why hasn't she told me where my brother is!? Why were we separated at all?! Where is my brother?_

_"Your brother was sent to one of the few places that the one who is after him, FallenSeraphimon, cannot access so easily, and even when he can send people after him, it is nearly impossible to locate him so quickly. TO hide the fact she sent him there, she separated the rest of the Rangers and hid where she sent each one. And it worked for a good time. The forces of darkness are scattered, and even though they have finally located him, they only know he is in Transfield. Transfield has passageways to places all over the Digital World, so that when he does finally leave, the ones after him once again will have difficulty finding him. Additionally, it is extremely difficult to move large amounts of forces into Transfield"._

_So, he is safe?_

_"Safer. Some Digimon have ways of accessing Transfield easily that work for FallenSeraphimon, but only a few. And the only one to have actually come into conflict with Matthew...well, lets just say she had a dinner date and became pre-occupied"._

_Uh huh. Can you help get me to him?_

_"It would be more accurate to say I can help get him at least closer to you. It would be faster to wait for him to leave Transfield, then for you to go to Transfield after him. There is another though. Another one of you, Kenji, is nearby. You should meet up with him"._

Before Maxwell could respond, suddenly the voice was gone and he was back in the train. "We have almost reached our next stop!"

Maxwell and Guilmon looked out the window as he exited the Tunnel. In the distance, they saw a city. At the same time, Max's digivice started to detect another Digivice in the area. "Alright, here we come Kenji".

* * *

"What do you mean Ophanimon?" Cherubimon asked, pacing. "Why did you interrupt me?"

"Something has occured, leaving us in a...difficult and complex position" Ophanimon told him.

"What is this occurrence you bring up?"

"FallenSeraphimon appears to have located and retrieved a section of the Source Code".

"You mean the code that helped originally form the Digital World?" Cherubimon questioned. "How did he do this without me noticing?"

"I do not know, but it leaves us in a difficult decision. For now, the last thing he needs is the boy, Matthew Graves, to complete what he started" Ophanimon told him. "And since neither of us can match his power, there is only one solution we have with a one hundred percent chance of success".

"No! That is against our way! We cannot permenantly delete the boy! Not after we have sworn to help them gain the power they need to stop FallenSeraphimon! Besides, he is one of the Rangers...!"

"He is one because I made him one, there was no natural selection as there is supposed to be. And what if FallenSeraphimon gets his hands on the child, and completes his plan before they gain the power to fight him? Can we really risk the whole Digital and human world by taking a chance that we might be able to protect the boy? I do not like this either, but if his deletion guarentees the safety of the Digital World..."

Cherubimon smashed the table before him. "No! It is not our way! We must continue to have faith!"

"Seraphimon had faith, and look what happened to him!" Ophanimon replied, annoyed at Cherubimon's outrage. "I understand how you feel, but if our combined power cannot stop FallenSeraphimon, then how can we truly expect to keep him from the boy long enough for them to gain the ancient power? We already led them towards the Golden Digicode, but that is not enough! As horrible as the act is, it would ensure the safety of the Digital World for years to come".

"It would mean destroying an innocent life! And the backlash on his Digimon! It would destroy them both!"

"It would save thousands more!"

Cherubimon was more then just annoyed now. "It is not our way!"

"Our way is failing!"

"It has not failed yet" Cherubimon told her, looking away. "It has not failed yet. And tell me, what would you tell his older brother about this plan? What would you tell him if you would do this horrible act?"

Ophanimon fell silent. She was angry, and upset, and sad, and miserable, but she had lost the words to express those things.

"Exactly. We cannot do something so horrible".

Ophanimon looked out the window. "We may not want to, but if needed we can in fact do it. You have one additional week to do something, or to have them do something, significant enough to change my mind. And not a second more. If you cannot change my mind by then, I will have him deleted. Permanently".

As Ophanimon left, Cherubimon viewed the progress of all the rangers. And he knew there was only one way to change Ophanimon's mind. He would need to accelerate the process. He needed them to gain more power...and flush FallenSeraphimon out.

* * *

As Maxwell arrived in the city, the voice returned to his head. _"An issue has come up. You must do something quickly, which means finding Kenji quickly. Otherwise, we are all on a trail to destruction"._

_What is it?_

_"Lets just say, we need you to gain more power. We need you to begin defeating larger minions. Which means accelerating the process. Don't worry, I have provided some help. Look to your right"._

Max and Guilmon looked towards the right, and they immediately saw Kenji and Tentomon. They waved over to them. "Hey! Max! Guilmon! Good to finally see a friendly face!"

They ran over to each other, and greeted each other warmly. When Kenji finally let go, he seemed to notice something.

"You look different".

"Wow? Is it that obvious I took a bath?"

"No, not that. You just look less stressed".

Max rubbed the back of his head, and looked at Guilmon. "lets just say, I finally realized I may have had a major control issue".

"May?" Guilmon questioned.

"Okay, I do have one. But I am working on it! Also trying to work on not freaking out over everything".

Kenji looked impressed. "Wow, and with you seperated from Matthew too? Are you sure you were not replaced with a clone? I find this hard to believe".

"Hey! I can change!" Max told him.

"Uh huh. I will believe it when I see it. Anyways, come with, we need to meet someone. Oh, also, say hello to my friends, Kotemon and Gatomon" Kenji told him as he introduced two other Digimon behind him.

"Found some friends?" Guilmon asked. "Hello new friends!"

"And allies!" Tentomon told him. "Now come on, we need to go find Patamon!"

Maxwell thought back to what Cherubimon told him. _Why do I get the feeling he did more then lead me and Kenji to each other?_

He figured he would find out soon enough though, as the group walked off. He wondered what Cherubimon had meant though exactly, including this new danger that caused things to have to accelerate things. He just hoped that whatever came their way, they would be able to handle it, and that Matthew would stay safe.

_Woah! Talk about a cold thought from Ophanimon! Will Cherubimon be able to convince her in time? Will FallenSeraphimon got to Matthew first? Will Max keep up this new attitude, even under pressure? I guess you will just have to keep watching/reading Digimon: Rangers to find out!_


	23. Chapter 23: Booked

"So, where is this guy anyways?" Kenji asked.

"He should be around this corner and down the street" Kotemon replied.

The group continued walking, searching for this Patamon and his almighty book of knowledge. Max was being surprisingly patient, only asking why it was more important then finding their friends (and his brother) every thirty minutes then every thirty seconds. Exactly what happened while they were separated?

As they arrived though, Grumblemon appeared. He emerged from the ground, and blocked their path. "YOu thought you were rid of me that quickly?!"

"Its Grumblemon!"

"Time to be deleted!"

"Guilmon!" "Tentomon!" "Digi..."

Grumblemon interrupted them by smashing the ground, causing both Kenji and Max to fall down. Additionally, Grumblemon smirked. "YOu think it will be that easy? Even if you digivolve, I am the element of Earth and rock! Fire and Electricity do not harm me!"

"He is right! None of us have effective attacks against him!" Max yelled.

"Normally, we might not! But we are Digimon Rangers, remember?" Kenji told him as they raised their Digivices.

====Datastream Modify! Maxwell and Guilmon Steel Element Modification!====

====Datastream Enhancement! Hand to Hand Skillset!====

"Uh oh. Spoke too much" Grumblemon said with some fear, as Max and Guilmon got giant steel weapons with a hammer on one side, and a blade on the other. Additionally, Guilmon's tail also became a steel blade. The four of them attacked Grumblemon, the combination of their attacks catching him off guard. This made him rethink his position, and he ran away before any more fighting or speaking could happen.

With that all set and done, they entered the bookstore/library. Already, they could see just how much this place was dedicated to knowledge. There were so many books, they overflowed from the shelves and onto the floor. Piles so big they might be mountains were scattered throughout, and a lone Patamon was trying to organize it when they saw the group.

"Kotemon! You are back!"

"Its good to see you too, Patamon. BUt listen, we don't have much time, we need your help. These humans here are..."

"The Digimon Rangers. Word travels fast. How can I help?"

Max stepped up first. "Is there any way we can quickly get into and then out of Transfield, or at least know where someone is coming out and contact them?"

"If Ranamon was not evil, she could do it if your friend was in an area with Ocean. Ranamon can travel between all bodies of water instantly somehow, even in Transfield. That said, I don't know of any way to get in and out of there quickly, but there might be a way to contact them...I need to check the Book of Knowledge" Patamon told them, before going over and looking in this one pile for a book. Suddenly, Max's Digivice began to emit a golden glow, and emited a beam of light to the exact book Patamon was looking for. "What the...is that what I think it is?"

Max was not quite sure what to say. "What was that?"

"That was Golden Digicode. It was rumored to be hidden so the forces of Darkness could not get it" Patamon explained, before flying closer with the book and opening it up to the page about the Golden Digicode. "It was used by the old Digimon Rangers to help protect both worlds from Darkness".

Guilmon smiled. "Really? Well we were lucky to randomly come across it then!"

Kenji shook his head. "I don't think it was random".

"I agree" Patamon mentioned. "While Golden Digicode can be used by every Digimon, it empowers the Ranger it belongs to even more. Not only have you found some, but I have heard rumors that other Rangers have also found Golden Digicode. Your friend in Transfield being one of them, and I hear two others have also found at least one Golden Digicode".

Kenji took out his Digivice. "I got it too. So, this much mean that we all might have one by now".

"This is both good news and bad. The fact that so many, if not every, Digimon Ranger got Golden Digicode, it means the forces of Darkness were unable to stop you from gaining more power, but the fact that the Rangers were needed again with the Golden Digicode can only mean that darkness is returning to this world. Not just FallenSeraphimon, something worse. I just hope its not Lucemon again, especially since it means he could survive being destroyed somehow".

"Who is Lucemon?" Maxwell asked.

"Lucemon tried to corrupt this Digital World before to a point it was nearly completely destroyed. Luckily, the Legendary Warriors rose up and stopped him, completely destroying him. No Digiegg was ever recovered, but trust me, no one was sad about that".

Kenji noticed Tentomon looked concerned. He nudged him a little, hoping to let him open up so they could help. Eventually, Tentomon spoke up "If its not Lucemon, then its someone who clearly has an agenda that wont be much better then his. I almost want to say it is Lucemon so that we can say no other Digimon is twisted on his level, but he was completely destroyed..."

* * *

Jack and Terriermon looked around a large crater. When he heard about what had happened in this Digital World before, he had to check for himself. He needed to know the truth. And while he had a lot of hope he was wrong, this crater's existence...and the time it appeared...was not helping.

"It could just be a coincidence" Terry mentioned.

"Thanks for the comforting words Terry, but I think we both know its far too coincidental to actually be a coincidence. We should have known from the beginning that he couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere".

"Well if it is him, you and me will sucker punch him out of existence! GeneOlypimon wont be expecting to see us here!"

"He should be Lucemon, at most. When we defeated GeneOlypimon, we cut his power in half at the very least, and he was Lucemon at the time. Either he de-digivolved by now, or he is extremely weak. BUt this dimension...Lucemon came to our world from here" Jack told him, before smiling. "But, that is good news for us. Even if he was building back up his power all this time, it should be able to take him down".

"Yeah, we will pound his poopy pants for sure".

Jack took out his Digivice. "I am not sure we will need to. This world handled him once before. They can do it again. But that doesn't mean we cant give them some help. Besides, we have our own mission".

Terry pouted. "Awwwwww".

* * *

As Patamon looked up some more information, Kenji moved closer to Tentomon, who had been acting strangely this whole time. "So, I am not exactly good at this, but...you seem down. What is wrong?"

"Its just, we heard a lot of stories about how powerful Lucemon is, and what he did. For him to be back...well, it scares me. I wont back down, but I can't help but feel terrified".

"Its okay, we can do this" Kenji told him. "After all, you are not alone in this. We are a team".

Tentomon looked at him, and (did what Kenji guessed was that he) smiled. "Thank you".

Suddenly, a strange noise came from the back of the Library. The group turned to face it, and one of the books opened. A powerful vortex opened up and tried to suck them in. A Digimon appeared behind it, and it was Devimon. "Sorry, but I can't let you leave with what you know. Actually, no, I am not sorry".

As Devimon smiled, the vortex increased in power. Kenji looked towards Patamon. "Where does that lead?"

"An evil place called the Dark Ocean! We cant let ourselves get sucked in!"

Neither Kenji nor Max could reach their Digivices, because they were using both arms to hold on tight. And they did not have anything that would immediately work against Devimon's power. Tentomon was starting to slip, too. Kotemon looked over to Patamon. "Can you Digivolve?"

"No, my power got sapped!"

Then, Kenji remembered about the Golden Digicode. "Patamon, can your champion form act quickly?"

"Yes...wait, I might not be able to react that quickly! Don't risk it!"

"We cant hold on forever. Just, make sure you know what to do when it happens!" Kenji yelled, as he let go with one hand and grabbed his Digivice. His only other hand holding on was slipping though, so he acted quickly. "Golden Digicode Activate!"

As Kenji finally slipped and got pulled towards the Vortex, the Golden Digicode hit Patamon.

====Patamon Golden Digivolves to...Angemon!====

Right as Kenji reached the Vortex, Angemon closed it using Celestial Light causing Kenji and everyone else to hit the floor. Devimon looked stunned. "What? How! That should not be possible!"

Kenji stood up. "You might be evil, but I was more cunning then you. Golden Digicode can be used on any Digimon. Now, lets show this guy what teamwork can do!"

"Hand of Faith!" "Electroshocker!" "Pyro Blaster!"

The combined attacks hit Devimon head on, turning him to dust and exposing his Digicode. Kenji, already having his Digivice out, scanned it and absorbed the Digicode. He looked towards Patamon. "Now, do you know what we are supposed to do next?"

_Woah! Kenji just got extra awesome, and now we know more about this Golden Digicode stuff! But who is pulling the strings to get them there? And could it be possible Lucemon has returned? To find out you will just have to keep watching/reading Digimon: Rangers to find out!_


	24. Chapter 24: Surviving Darkness

Blaze and Sally had spent the last few days trying to learn all they could about Transfield, and how they could quickly break in and out. However, the more they learned, the more hopeless it seemed. Transfield existed in some sort of weird pocket section of the Digital World, and the only way to leave it was to visit each zone in Transfield. No one seemed to fully be able to agree on what the zones in Transfield were, a few claiming they change every so often, but they agreed there were always eight. The ones that came up the most frequently was the Swamp, Desert, Snowy Mountains, Ocean, City, Volcanic, Forest, and Twilight.

Still, it seemed like no one knew any quicker way out, though finding an entrance could also be challenging since they moved. It was protected by some sort of powerful barrier, that no one seems able to even weaken no matter who has tried. So even if Blaze and Sally got in, and even if they found Matthew, he probably had already progressed through several zones already and they would not be able to leave at the same time. Then, they would probably just get separated again, since apparently the exits also kept moving.

So, they were stuck back at square one. They had no more leads, no plan, and the enemy apparently was confident they could breach the barrier, which since he had so much power apparently, he would definitely do before they did. So Blaze, Sally, Agumon, and Hawkmon all lay in a field in a circle, looking up at the sky trying to think up a new plan.

"If only Kenji was here. He would think of a plan" Sally mentioned.

Blaze sighed. "Or Max, though given Matthew is the focus he might jump the gun a little. What we need is an expert, someone old enough and experienced enough to have an idea".

That is when Agumon shot up. "That's it! We ask an expert!"

"But we don't have one" Blaze reminded him.

Agumon shook his head, and pointed to Blaze's Digivice. "Yes we do! Agunimon's Spirit! Agunimon is old and experienced!"

"Kazemon too!" Hawkmon added.

Blaze and Sally took out their Digivices. The Digi-Spirits of Agunimon and Kazemon. Two ancient legendary warriors. Two ancient powers. They were old warriors with plenty of experience. They just needed to communicate with them. They looked towards each other, nodded, and tried to call out their spirits to communicate with them.

Suddenly, the four of them found themselves standing in the middle of an empty city. Across from them, the Spirits of Agunimon and Kazemon stood. Agunimon grinned. "Took you long enough".

"Oh, quit mocking them Agunimon. Its not like this comes with a manual or anything" Kazemon told him.

Agunimon crossed his arms. "Yeah, but it seemed fairly obvious".

"Ignore him, he just has a habit of having to prove to people he is boss because of his inferiority complex" Kazemon told them, mocking Agunimon in the process. Agunimon quite litterally errupted in flames.

"Do not!" he protested.

"Me thinks you protesteth too much" Kazemon told him. "Now, shall we focus on the matter at hand?"

"Yes, please, we need your help" Sally told them. "We need to find the rest of our friends, but one is trapped in Transfield and the others are scattered across the Digital World".

"A difficult problem indeed" Kazemon mentioned. "But I believe you are wrong on one thing. Transfield is not his prison, but his protection. They want something Matthew has, but thanks to Transfield, he is being tested in every harsh condition. Every threat he might face out here will be faced in there. ANd the forces of darkness cannot reach him while he is in there. By the time he exits Transfield, he and his Digimon partner will be more powerful then ever...and be more then capable of defending themselves".

"So, Matthew is supposed to be in Transfield then?" Blaze asked. "Wait, how will we get stronger then?"

Kazemon smiled. "There is one way to train the both of you quickly as well, but you won't like it...".

The wind Digimon snapped her fingers, and suddenly the four of them were now in the middle of the snowy wilderness. Agunimon smiled. "Welcome to Frostbyte Mountains. Your mission here is simple. Survive. If you survive a week up here, the cold raw bitterness should make you tougher".

"You can teleport us?!" Sally asked, shocked.

"Actually, that took all the energy we had, and that took a lot out of us still. It will actually take us a week before we can do that again".

"So again, your only mission is to survive" Agunimon said, before he and Kazemon disappeared back into the Digivices.

"I bet Matthew is having a better time then this" Sally mumbled.

* * *

"Paddle faster Gomamon!"

"I know I know! The ugly sea food lady is right behind us!" Gomamon shouted, as Calmaramon chased them with vicious intent.

"No one calls me ugly and gets away with it! I am a beautiful woman!"

"We called you ugly! Repeatedly!" Gomamon corrected.

"Not helping Gomamon!" Matthew shouted. "Just keep paddling!"

====Gomamon Digivolves to...Ikkakumon!====

"Now I can paddle faster!" Ikkakumon shouted, going into overdrive mode to escape the clutches of Calmaramon.

* * *

"You really think Matthew is doing better on his own? Think about it, if he did not his the freezing cold place by now, he will soon, and then he will have to search for food in a frozen tundra all on his own".

"Oh yeah, he probably is having a worse time then us".

* * *

"I can't believe we escaped Calmaramon again" Matthew said as he and Gomamon lay on a beach. A Biyomon wearing a bow tie came around and came them some tropical beverages. "Or that we found an Island resort".

"I can't believe she got eaten by Whamon again. Or that you lost your swimsuit again" Gomamon added, snickering.

"You tugged it this time!" Matthew mentioned defensively.

"No proof!"

* * *

"Well, I hope he will be okay then" Sally told him. "Anyways, we should look for some shelter first".

As they started to search for a cave or something else to take shelter in, something lurked in the snowy mountaintops above. It was a WhiteAgumon...with a black mark shaped like a skull on its right arm.

Sally and Blaze eventually managed to find a cave, and luckily for Sally their parents had packed some snowgear to help keep them warm. Unfortunately, they did not have anything to use for firewood, so they could not get a fire going. They did not see any trees, and the blizzard was getting worse so they did not risk going outside.

Sally smiled though, despite everything. She was not sure why, but something had changed. Ever since they got the spirits. She just knew, they could do this. They could do anything.

Suddenly, a large burst of cold air and snow pushed into the cave with enough force to knock down Agumon and Blaze, and caused Hawkmon to nearly go flying. They turned to face their attacker, and it was a WhiteGreymon. Sally didn't need her Digivice to figure it out. It was an ice and snow version of Greymon. What puzzled her though was a black skull shaped mark on its shoulder. It looked unusual, almost demonic. Like it was looking at them.

Suddenly, ice spikes shot out of hte ground and surrounded her and Hawkmon, before freezing them solid. Suddenly, they found themselves in some sort of black nothingness. Voices spoke out all around them, voices of their family, friends, the other Digimon Rangers, telling them how they didn't belong, how they were just weak girls, about how they were useless and weak, and had to run home to the human world and get supplies in order to seem important.

Sally tried to shut them out, but it seemed like she could not speak. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The only noise were the voices. She covered her ears, but it did no good at all. They were already in her head. Telling her how useless she was. That she would fail everyone. That because of her, the enemy would win. And then, the black nothingness was replaced with her bad memories, memories of her failing, of her getting hurt, of her disappointing people. It was overwhelming.

And then, one image, one memory, popped inside her head. Her getting separated from the other Rangers, back at the castle. About what happened to Matthew, how he was infected. And how everyone fought bravely. The voices got louder and louder, and she just sat their on the ground, taking it. And then she heard the voice. "You cannot help them".

"Yes...I...can!" she shouted, her voice errupting over the other voices and causing the memories to disperse. Hawkmon could speak too as well now. Her strength had seemingly returned in full scale. "I can, and I will! I will not fall just because you say I will!"

Suddenly, the Datastreams seemed to emerge from her Digivice on her own, forming armor and a spear. Hawkmon also felt empowered. And at the same time, a dark figure appeared in front of them. "What the...thats impossible! You could not do this!"

"Kenji might be the cunning one...but I am not stupid. I will not betray my friends, because I am loyal to them!" Sally shouted, and the darkness receeded. Back in reality, the ice shattered around Sally and Hawkmon. Sally looked towards Blaze and Agumon, and they were also encased in ice. In front of them, WhiteGreymon stood tall, but some sort of shadowy figure was emerging from the black skull mark.

"Impossible!" WhiteGreymon shouted, the voice distorted by the dark presence. "No matter, I have a few tricks too! Dark Digivolution!"

====WhiteGreymon Dark Digivolve to...IceAgunimon!====

Sally looked at her Digivice, and then at IceAgunimon. The Golden Digicode had not recharged yet, and her spirit was also low on energy. They needed a plan. Then, Hawkmon spoke up. "Digivolve me to Aquilamon!"

"Right!" Sally replied.

====Hawkmon Digivolves to...Aquilamon!====

"You think one Digimon Ranger and a champion will be enough to stop me?" IceAgunimon asked.

Sally knew they could not win conventionally. But she had a plan. "Aquilamon, when we are done here, I should teach you how to jumprope. Now, lets flank them!"

Sally and Hawkmon flanked IceAgunimon, and then Sally enacted her plan. She materialized a rope, tossing one end to Aquilamon, and then instead of charging towards IceAgunimon, they both charged right past her. Sally materialized wings onto her armor, and they both flew right off the cliff. The rope caught IceAgunimon, and it went flying right off the cliff! A normal fight might not work, but they could not fly.

As they landed on the cliff to try and see what happened, IceAgunimon jumped right up with his own sword, and nearly struck them. The dark presence was still there, but they had taken a lot of damage from falling. IceAgunimon charged right at Sally, but she blocked the attack with her spear. She deflected the attack back at him, and then jabbed him with a direct hit. IceAgunimon stood there, as she and Aquilamon launched a combined attack that took him down for good.

The Black Skull Mark suddenly opened up a Dark Void underneath them, and they disappeared. "This is not over".

Blaze and Agumon ran up behind them. "Who was that? Another minion like from before?"

Sally shook her head. "No, this is something different. The minions before were willing servants. This one...I got the feeling this Digimon was forced to fight..."

_Uh oh, is there a new threat lurking in the shadows? Is something hunting the group? And what is with the Skull Mark? I guess to find out you will just have to keep watching/reading Digimon: Rangers!_


End file.
